THE STORY – Hypersensitive to the slightest possible offense and ever ready to fly off the handle, Pansy does not ingratiate. She criticizes her husband Curtley and their adult son Moses so relentlessly that neither bother to argue with her. She picks fights with strangers and sales clerks and enumerates the world’s countless flaws to anyone who will listen, most especially her cheerful sister Chantal, who might be the only person still capable of sympathizing with her. As the film peels back Pansy’s pain and the daily fallout left in its wake, we wonder if a breaking point will come for the family.
THE CAST – Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Tuwaine Barrett, Ani Nelson, Sophia Brown & Jonathan Livingstone
THE TEAM – Mike Leigh (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 97 Minutes
Following a six-year hiatus from the silver screen, writer and director Mike Leigh returns with “Hard Truths,” a powerhouse character study full of compassion for its protagonist. Leigh delivers on the promise of a highly anticipated creative collaboration. The film reunites him with Marianne Jean-Baptiste, more than 20 years since the Oscar-nominated “Secrets & Lies.” Their latest endeavor does not shy away from a character with sharp emotional edges. By exploring her pain with the intent to understand it, no matter how unpleasant the journey, they so wonderfully get to the heart of the film’s subject matter. “Hard Truths” joins Leigh’s stellar track record of unforgettable witty dramas, giving Jean-Baptiste another opportunity to exercise her phenomenal talent.
When asked why she can’t enjoy life, Pansy is at a loss for words except one: haunted. The hard truths of her character float in and out of grieving consciousness like ghosts of lost time. These harsh apparitions have worn and torn Pansy’s spirit to peak levels of frustration and exhaustion. Living in the present is a challenge. Interacting with people is a challenge. But, the here and now is all she has. Time is the one thing we cannot control, only its remnants, whether we suppress or embrace them. The beauty of “Hard Truths” is its incredible embrace of Pansy in all her complexities. Leigh’s direction and writing meet every moment of her frustration and exhaustion with patience and understanding.
The film meets Pansy in a panic as she jolts up from her bed. Waking up causes such alarm that one wonders how peaceful and needed her rest must have been. Pansy has trouble finding a moment’s pause. Fueled with fury, she detects a series of faults in her London household. Her husband Curtley (David Webber) and their adult son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett) walk on eggshells around her. Their interactions develop out of conflict, whether in the form of household orders (“Don’t leave the door open”) or randomly vented irritations at the dinner table (“Why does a baby need pockets?”). Curtley and Moses each find their versions of solace outside the home, the former on contractor jobs and the latter on routinely downcast walks. While both characters feel Pansy’s impact, neither understands how best to help her through the pain.
Leigh’s delicate screenplay leaves ample room for grief’s immeasurable, indefinable reach. Nothing in particular needs to happen for heartbreak to hit other than going about one’s day. The film shines confidently in ordinary spaces and scenarios, where the actors can fill in the gaps with magnificently lived-in portrayals. The depths of Pansy’s loss are visualized and verbalized through agitation. She conveys her hurt outwardly and everywhere, from a doctor’s office and a car park to a furniture store. Her often humorous dialogue is so deeply rooted in truth that one has to laugh or otherwise cry. The laughter is a bittersweet release, underscoring the film’s exploration of the complexities of grief and the depth of the characters’ emotions.
Jean-Baptiste is the magnificent core Leigh orbits around to reach the stars. Full of humor and sorrow, her vigorous performance prioritizes the character’s humanity in every scene. Rather than concern herself with trying to make the character “likable,” Jean-Baptiste fully embraces her temperament without apology. She deftly navigates from alienation and cynicism to regret and hopefulness (even if for a glimmer). What makes Jean-Baptiste’s performance especially compelling is her balance of the dichotomy in Pansy’s self-expression. She readily confronts the people, places, and things that trouble her. However, she has difficulty voicing why she feels the way she does. The pain of not knowing haunts her. Jean-Baptiste also exercises incredible comedic timing while not abandoning the tinges of sorrow that are part of her.
A standout scene reveals Pansy in her car moments after having had an outburst at a furniture store. She sits quietly with shame until a bystander’s interruption evokes anger and thus continues the cycle. In contrast to Pansy’s husband and son turning their backs in uncertainty, her sister Chantal (the wonderful Michele Austin) leans in with initiative. In the face of Pansy’s loneliness, Chantal exudes togetherness. “I don’t understand you, but I love you,” she assures Pansy. Chantal comes from a place of empathy, which she brings to her hair salon clients and her family at home. Her warmth and sensitivity evoke key moments of self-reflection for her, and no better scene illustrates this than a Mother’s Day gathering in the final act. Conflicting family dynamics and expressions of grief collide, gradually building to a devastating emotional turning point for Pansy. In addition to the actors’ performances, this scene resonates due to Leigh’s patience in getting there. The film takes time to reveal its nature and, as a result, feels true to the protagonist’s journey toward healing. One can only hope not to wait another 20 years for Leigh and Jean-Baptiste to collaborate again, as “Hard Truths” stands out so brightly in their respective works..
