BAFTA and Grierson winning Jewish director Marc Isaacs is one of the most admired documentarians of his generation, counting even Louis Theroux as an avid fan. Known for his intimate, funny and compassionate stories about modern Britain, Isaacs has in the past portrayed the lives of white working class communities in London, notably in his 2007 documentary All White in Barking.

When he is told by his agent that his next film must be about crime, sex or celebrity for it to be in with a chance of getting funded Isaacs decides to make a film in his own home about the people in his life whom he sees as a microcosm of multicultural Britain.

It quickly becomes apparent that he puts very few boundaries between himself and the people who either work for him, or just turn up unannounced to ask for his help. Among them are British builder Keith who is helping install a new fence in the garden separating Marc and his Pakistani neighbour Zara, Mikel a homeless Slovakian man and Nery, the director’s Colombian maid.

He soon finds himself in some awkward conversations — a row between Keith and Mikel over an old football match almost turns nasty. Meanwhile, Nery invites Mikel to come and stay for a while until he gets his strength back. All this with Isaacs capturing it all for eternity, including a conversation he has with his Muslim neighbour Zara about his Jewishness.

There are some moments of great sadness relating to one of his former documentary subjects, mixed with some decidedly allegorical nods to Nery’s Catholicism — at one point she is seen washing Mikel’s feet in a gesture of compassion, a symbolic moment which feels both unexpected and rather staged. Is this fact, or scripted fiction? We’re never quite sure, although I was convinced the basis was all true.

While Isaacs’s subjects often feel like actors playing somewhat heightened versions of themselves, the film still gives us a glimpse of the many nationalities and archetypes who inhabit the city of London.