Mike Leigh’s uncomfortably honest portrayal of a black mother in London which mirrors the lives of many mothers across the world is funny, personal and unforgiving in its representation whilst featuring Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s best performance to date. Continue reading for our full Hard Truths review.
This Hard Truths review was made possible thanks to an early screening at the BFI London Film Festival.
Without question, this is a showcase for Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who has worked with director Mike Leigh before and so he immediately knew whilst writing that this role was for her. And how right he was, because Jean-Baptiste is a star and commands the screen in every scene she is in. However, this has a knock-on negative effect as her lost presence is felt when she isn’t on screen and you are just waiting to get back to her instead of watching whatever other drama is occurring.
Her character Pansy is one that will appear very familiar to a lot of people, as this is someone everyone has occurred at least a few times in their lives, if not on a personal level. Pansy is the woman that does her shopping every Thursday, Pansy is the woman that comes home from work every day and feeds her family, Pansy is the woman struggling with grief following the loss of a parent. The character represents a multitude of women, specifically those in the UK, but it is a universal message and one that everyone will recognise – everybody knows a Pansy.
However, for the main character, it has gotten too much. Bottling up all her emotions and the mounting pressure falling to her in her household has shaped her into a bitter, angry and aggressive old woman who picks arguments with everyone who comes into her path whether it be a cashier scanning her food or a customer service worker attempting to assist her in buying a sofa. It is very funny to watch Pansy start fights with everyone wherever she goes, but it is always undermined by something deeper and a lot more depressing.
While the humour lies in the fact that she is an angry bitter old lady, Leigh perfectly balances this with the drama and never makes it feel like it steps too far to one side. Even your laughs are short-lived as the reality sinks in after every interaction and she continues to take it too far. Ultimately, Pansy has been forced to be this way and uses these angry outbursts at unsuspecting members of the public as her outlet as she is struggling in almost every other aspect of life. It would be very surprising if Jean-Baptiste comes out of this without any award recognition as her performance is going to be remembered – she has been predicted by Feature First to be nominated for Best Actress at the 97th Academy Awards.
Whilst Jean-Baptiste is the core of the film, it is absolutely heightened by the incredible supporting cast, specifically Michele Austin as Chantelle who presents a strong grounded and dramatic contrast to the unruly and uncontrollable nature that Pansy has. Their sisterhood relationship is what brings humanity to the film and Leigh places this heavy emphasis on family and feeling recognised in order to become yourself. Once everyone starts to take more notice of each other, things begin to change and the story is ultimately one about a family uniting and a woman breaking out of the cyclical chains that keep mothers constrained to providing for relatives that don’t give the same back.
Tuwaine Barrett is great as the unspoken Moses, who acts as the bridge between the two sides of the family and acts as a reflection of the continuation of the cycle – just as he watches his mother be silent and passive, giving into the acts happening to her, he also allows people to abuse and be rude to him in the streets. This is the cycle that Leigh is overtly critiquing and calling for the audience to make an active attempt to stand up for themselves, notice other people and listen to each other.
Feature First has predicted Hard Truths to be a part of the above-the-line conversation during awards season, including consideration for Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay at the 97th Academy Awards.
Hard Truths is directed by Mike Leigh and stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Tuwaine Barrett and Tiwa Lade. Henry Woolley and Georgina Lowe serve as producers.
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