Film Review - Hard Truths
Images courtesy of Mushroom Studios.
Mike Leigh is a very important name in the British film industry, and is highly respected for his cinematic contributions, including films like Naked, Vera Drake and Mr. Turner. However, his most acclaimed film is the five-time Oscar nominee Secrets & Lies from 1996. Today, he reunites with one of the film’s stars, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, for his latest effort, Hard Truths.
Pansy (Jean-Baptiste) is a woman who quite literally hates everyone and everything. Full of anger and resentment, she is constantly criticising others and is ticked off by even the slightest of inconveniences. She regularly lashes out at her family, made up of her often voiceless husband Curtley (David Webber) and her aimless son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett). Whether it’s her dentist, a random stranger, or a retail worker, nobody is safe from Pansy’s harsh persona. She also believes the world is against her, and always errs on the side of caution. Naturally, Pansy doesn’t have many fans and isolates herself from others. However, one of the only people who is actually sympathetic towards her is her sister Chantelle (Michele Austin), who is also her polar opposite. Chantelle is warm and cheerful, working in the social environment of a hair salon, where she listens to her clients' stories with interest and genuinity. She’s also a single mother with two lively grown daughters. It begs the question - why is Pansy like this?
At first, viewers will think they’ve got Pansy figured out. She’s just a grumpy middle-aged woman who is always on edge and is every customer service worker’s worst nightmare. While she definitely has a point to some of her complaints, it’s difficult to empathize with her scathing nature. However, Hard Truths is a character study, and as the film goes along, the complexities and layers of Pansy reveal themselves. This is a very depressed woman who is full of fear and doubt. She simply doesn’t see the joy in life, and takes it out on the rest of the world to cope. This is one of the elements that makes Hard Truths hit so hard. The screenplay features cracking dialogue and expertly balances the fine line between funny and heartbreaking. Because while Hard Truths is devastating, it is also at times very funny. Pansy’s rants hit like a bullet, and the insults and burns she throws at particular people are occasionally brilliant. Jean-Baptiste is a force of nature, and is able to perfectly distinguish the two very different feelings of anger and hopelessness. Pansy is emotionally exhausting to others and herself, and Jean-Baptiste plays this to perfection. Austin is a lovely presence, and scenes set in her chilled-out salon make for the perfect escape from Pansy’s negative energy.
While the film is brilliant on most fronts, its ending doesn’t entirely work. It is obvious that Leigh is going for a more ambiguous finish, but it also feels like there isn’t enough closure in order to tie anything together and form an interpretation of what will happen to these characters once the screen fades to black. This feels a little frustrating when the set-up and development is so powerful.
Hard Truths is a masterclass in great writing and acting, and despite a shaky ending, still packs a huge punch.
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Hard Truths is screening in cinemas now. For tickets and more info, click here.