Hard Truths

Speak to any cinephile and it’s highly likely they’ve seen at least one Mike Leigh film. A staple of British cinema, Leigh is known for his confronting and reflective films about everyday people; most notably in the outstanding Secrets & Lies, which received well-deserved acclaim. In his latest offering Hard Truths, Leigh once again focuses on family dynamics through the relationship of two sisters Pansy (played by Marianne Jean-Baptise, Oscar-nominated for her role in Secrets & Lies) and Chantelle (Michele Austin), and those around them.

To describe Pansy as a complex character would be a laughable understatement. She wakes up panicked, angry and fearful and no one is immune to her wrath. Not her doctor or her dentist, not the pigeons and foxes that loiter around her house, and most especially not her husband and son, who both live timidly due to fear of aggravating her further. The extent of Pansy’s vitriol towards the world and everyone in it is exhausting and unsettling. Not an easy character to play, but Jean-Baptiste absolutely dominates the screen with an uncomfortable sharpness in her movements and dialogue. Dinnertime in Pansy’s house with her husband Curtley and son Moses is consumed with Pansy ranting through numerous complaints whilst they sit in silence. In true Leigh fashion, it is painfully awkward to watch. On the flip side, in the home of sister Chantelle, who lives with her two daughters, there is laughter, teasing and genial conversation. The disparity between the two sisters’ households is brilliantly emphasised by the set design and the choice of lighting; Pansy’s spotless home of neutral shades lacks the genuine warmth of Chantelle’s home of vibrant plant life and bright colours.

Jean-Baptise has the hard task of trying to make the audience empathetic to a frankly insufferable character. Yet somehow, she mostly succeeds. The story unearths some of her emotional wounds, but a deeper understanding of why she presents such a hardened exterior unfortunately remains elusive. A pivotal scene at the crux of the film granted the perfect opportunity for all the characters to directly address her negative outlook and behaviour, for some hard truths to be put out in the open. But this, regrettably, was not to be. Additionally, the subplots regarding Chantelle’s daughters felt slightly unnecessary to the overall narrative, and one can’t help wishing the extra time had gone to the development of the character of Moses, to shed light on the effect of being raised in such a strained environment and the impact of constant parental criticism on self-esteem.

In spite of these few shortcomings, Leigh returns with another profound and moving drama about contemporary life and, alongside a stunning performance by Jean-Baptiste, it’s hard not to like.

Sunny Morgan

Hard Truths is released on 31^st January 2025.

Read more reviews from our London Film Festival coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the London Film Festival website here.

Watch the trailer for Hard Truths here: