HARD TRUTHS Film Review: Marianne Jean-Baptiste Shines

Hard Truths is the latest film from legendary director Mike Leigh, and although he might not be a household name outside of the film community, he’s the person behind critically acclaimed films like Naked, Life is Sweet, and Secrets and Lies—the latter of which earned five Academy Award nominations back in 1997, including one for Marianne Jean-Baptiste in the supporting actress category. Now, nearly 30 years later, she has teamed up with Leigh again. While Baptiste is brilliant in the role, Hard Truths doesn’t quite reach the same level of emotional resonance as some of Leigh’s previous works.

The film follows Baptiste as Pansy, a very angry yet sad and broken woman, as she navigates the minutiae of her daily life. She gets upset at her son for leaving food in his room, argues with couples in furniture stores, and loses her patience with clerks at the supermarket. Ultimately, she finds fault in everyone she interacts with – including herself.

This is very much a Mike Leigh film. He’s known for his natural and sometimes literally improvised dialogue. His work is quite human and grounded, and that’s much of what we have here. Hard Truths is understated in its visual style and colour palette – essentially being shot to mimic real life. There’s no noticeable colour grade, and the movement from shot to shot and scene to scene is calm and thoughtful. It’s quite subtle work compared to many other directors known for a bold visual style—think Wes Anderson, Guillermo del Toro, or even Claire Denis. But of course, this simple, naturalistic approach is, in itself, a directorial style. In fact, it’s a clear example of how strong, effective filmmaking isn’t just about bold style or the best equipment and lighting. At its heart, it’s about story. And the truth is, Leigh excels at sharing real human stories.

In Hard Truths, we start quite slowly. Style isn’t the first item on the checklist, and it takes approximately four minutes of runtime for our first line of dialogue. We’re quietly introduced to a few characters as they go about their day. We have a slow pan across the corner of the street until Pansy’s house is centered in the frame, and this shot is revisited near the end of the film. When we first see Baptiste’s character, as she is lying in bed, her face is split almost perfectly between shadow and light, which is certainly the most overt symbol of the two sides of her emotional and psychological state in the film.

When we finally hear Baptiste speak, we get a sense of tremendous anger – an anger that is much deeper and more ingrained than most characters we see on screen. Even when she’s driving, these emotional details are emphasized – like how the audience can see how she grips the steering wheel so tightly, to the point she cannot let go.

We do have occasional moments of levity, often with snarky remarks from Pansy, commenting on things such as the supposed absurdity of babies with pockets. Outside of that, though, we mostly see a tremendously angry human being.

In fact, for the whole first act and moving into the second, there is no significant emotional depth coming from Baptiste, which can lead you to question the buzz surrounding her performance. But once we get deeper into the film this facade starts crumbling, which is when Baptiste shines. In particular,  the emotional beats between Pansy and her sister are the most impactful moments in Hard Truths. While Baptiste gets the showier acting opportunities, the supporting characters also deliver subtle yet meaningful work. The relationship with her sister is crucial to the greater context of the film, but what stood out to me was Tuwaine Barrett as Pansy’s son. At first glance, he seems like just another apathetic teenager. But as we spend more time with him and his performance, we get more insight into his psyche, even though he barely says a word throughout the film.

The film ends without a clear resolution, which might not be surprising for a Leigh picture, but it leaves the audience feeling as though something is incomplete. Hard Truths can be a bit frustrating at times. We want characters to act in certain ways, and we want to see more significant growth. Still, if you enjoy Leigh’s work or are drawn to simpler films emphasizing interpersonal relationships, then Hard Truths is still worth a watch. | Adam Manery | Hard Truths Film Review