With his tales of everyday life beset with tragedy, sadness and loss, the director Mike Leigh has been called a miserabilist on more than one occasion. So the title Happy-Go-Lucky must be an ironic one, right? Wrong.
It refers to the central character, Poppy, played by the Leigh favourite Sally Hawkins. She is a 30-year-old Londoner with eccentric dress sense and a relentless enthusiasm for life. Poppy loves her job teaching in a local primary school, her best mate, Zoe (Alexis Zegerman), and, most importantly, her freedom. She speaks in a never-ending series of giggly wisecracks, which are always sarky but never snide. At times she can be irritating, but it's impossible to question her sincerity.
Anyone who is familiar with Leigh's previous films such as Life Is Sweet, Secrets & Lies or Vera Drake will probably spend the first hour waiting for something hideous to happen or to find out that Poppy's laughter hides a secret pain. But that never really happens. Although there is darkness in Happy-Go-Lucky, the writer-director has essentially created his first feel-good film.
The story starts when Poppy's beloved bike is stolen - she is most upset that she never got to say goodbye to it. As a consequence of the theft, she decides to take driving lessons. Her instructor, Scott (Eddie Marsan), seems harmless and awkward at first, but slowly reveals himself to be an angry and paranoid man. Poppy also visits her pregnant sister, who chastises her for wasting her life clubbing and having fun with friends instead of planning for her future.
At school, Poppy notices a child who is becoming violent and, after investigating, discovers that he is being physically abused at home. Perhaps unlike other Leigh films, however, many of Happy-Go-Lucky's darker moments give way to happier ones. After flagging the problem at school, Poppy strikes up a relationship with the male social worker who deals with the child.
The film's most heated moment comes in a showdown with the driving instructor, who is revealed as a racist who also harbours a strange obsession with Poppy. It becomes clear that although she wants to bring a smile to the world, she can't make everyone happy.
The film is successful because of fine performances from the cast, but Hawkins and Zegerman are particularly strong as polar opposites. London, seen in a perpetual state of spring, is also one of the film's stars. It has an almost cartoonlike feel, bright and abundant with colour.
Very little actually happens in Happy-Go-Lucky but still, it's impossible to watch it without feeling moved. In her dramatic showdown with Scott, the ditsy Poppy reveals herself to be brave, tactful and intelligent. In her, Leigh has crafted his most memorable female character since Brenda Blethyn's Cynthia in Secrets & Lies. Zegerman also deserves a mention for her turn as the best friend Zoe. She is funny, cool, droll and - more than anything - believable.
Despite unsettling moments, there are plenty of laughs in the film, not least with Poppy's brief foray into flamenco dancing. In fact, it happily toes the line between drama, comedy and romance without feeling like it's going over old ground.
The film also faithfully depicts a new reality in western cities: that more people are growing older with a focus on their careers and friends rather than marriage and children and that many are perfectly content.
Although Happy-Go-Lucky can be seen as a film about nothing, it's really a film about a warm-hearted woman in an imperfect world. Stunningly brought to life by Leigh and Hawkins, Poppy is a character whom some might find annoying, but she is nonetheless endlessly watchable.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEric%20Barbier%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYoussef%20Hajdi%2C%20Nadia%20Benzakour%2C%20Yasser%20Drief%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
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%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh132,000 (Countryman)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELeap%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ziad%20Toqan%20and%20Jamil%20Khammu%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The biog
Date of birth: 27 May, 1995
Place of birth: Dubai, UAE
Status: Single
School: Al Ittihad private school in Al Mamzar
University: University of Sharjah
Degree: Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Hobby: I enjoy travelling a lot, not just for fun, but I like to cross things off my bucket list and the map and do something there like a 'green project'.
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
