Emotionally draining drama boasts an Oscar-worthy Marianne Jean-Baptiste

in Hard truths
Mike Leigh’s beautiful human drama, the writer-director takes us into the life of an ordinary British Jamaican family with the easy-going, unhappy Pansy at the center. In an Oscar-worthy performance, Pansy, with a terrific and convincing Marian Jean-Baptiste, finds a way to quarrel with everyone. The film concentrates little on plot structure and instead slowly peels back the layers of its characters and challenges us to rethink what we know about our elders. Inherently, witnessing a woman protects insults at men is humorous, but sadness layers the script, making it deeply moving.

Hard Truths’ laugh-out-loud writing reveals deep, intricate layers of complex human nature

We first meet Pansy as she wakes up screaming and seemingly paranoid of potential dangers around her. Between bickering with her son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett), who faces his own challenges in this complicated world, and being disgusted with her husband Kurtley (David Webber), Pansy struggles to control her anger. Even a run-in with a sales agent at a furniture store proves too much. When she is faced with her emotional issues, she disappears and tries to recalibrate in her car, only to be disturbed by a stranger who asks her for the parking space she is sitting in.

From the outside looking in, it appears that Pansy suffers from a variety of issues – physical and mental. To make matters worse, her sleeping habits are poor, her depression is rampant, and her paranoia increasingly grows in post-Covid isolation. Still, Leigh’s sharp script provides plenty of opportunities for laughs, with memorable one-liners that I wouldn’t dare spoil. Although it takes a while to discover the reason for Pansy’s ways, it comes in due time. Hidden deep within her insult and sheer rage lies the story of a broken woman who suffers tremendously from overwhelming sadness, loneliness, and regret.

Difficult truths can trigger feelings of constant verbal abuse

But it is a reminder that humans are imperfect and deserve compassion

With a story mapped so humanly, it can also be overwhelming and upsetting to watch, especially if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a loved one’s unprovoked anger. From experience, I can say that it is a terrible position to be in, and it takes a lot of empathy not to hold these moments against them. Pansy’s sister, Chantelle (played by the delightful and soulful Michele Austin), is the perfect example of how to lead with compassion. “I don’t understand you, but I love you“, she says at one point to reassure Pansy that no one hates her.

Still, I couldn’t shake the sad feeling that overcame me, even long after the story revealed the source of Pansy’s true pain; It hit a little too close to home. At what point does someone continuously verbally abuse a character like Pansy when her only form of communication is guilt and insults? It’s a no-win situation, where accountability is thrown out the window and a hurt person externalizes their suffering out into the world. But it is certainly a man.

My most important thing Hard truths It’s not that a character like Pansy exists, it’s that it avoids the consequences of Pansy’s behavior. Moses and Kurtley got the brunt of Pansy’s anger – not all of it unwarranted – but we didn’t get enough of an adequate outcome to her tumultuous nature. Hard truths Almost teaches us to simply avoid and endure, as Moses and Kurtley did, as a means of coping with the guilty’s feelings. But their feelings are also important, and it is a shame that not enough time and space is given to the victims of emotional and mental abuse.

It goes without saying, but Leigh’s latest feature is a mix of humor, compassion, suffering, and emotional truth – the makings of a beautiful human story. What began as a humorous incident about a woman who chose to rage against the world, develops into an empathetic look at her deep loneliness and depression. Hard truths Is not an easy watch, especially if you have crossed paths with a person (or even have a family member) who is always angry. But thanks to a stunning lead performance from Jean-Baptiste and an ending that doesn’t take the easy way out, it’s a must-watch.

Hard truths Had its premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is 97 minutes long and is rated R for language. It is expected to be released nationwide in January 2025.