Reviews

Now that Hard Truths is finally in U.K. cinemas, we can fully appreciate why Marianne Jean-Baptiste should have received an Oscar nomination.

Mike Leigh’s latest drama stars Baptiste as Pansy Deacon, an angry, depressed and paranoid woman who takes her feelings out on others.

Nobody can do anything right, everyone is out to get her and every encounter becomes a confrontation.

This London-based story doesn’t have a traditional plot and instead tries to understand Pansy and why she has such a short fuse.

It explores her relationships with her husband Curtley (David Webber), son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett), sister Chantelle (Michele Austin) and nieces Kayla (Ani Nelson) and Aleisha (Sophia Brown) and shows how her argumentative nature has affected them.

While her caring sister Chantelle is more tolerant with Pansy and invites her to events – such as a Mother’s Day celebration – Pansy’s husband and son try to escape her where possible. Despite living under the same roof, they are all isolated and lonely.

At first, you may find Pansy’s rants quite amusing because she blows up over the most trivial things and occasionally makes good points in her tirades.

However, as the film progresses, it becomes quite sad and you feel sorry for her. You can tell that she is not well and needs help. As the saying goes, “Hurt people hurt people.”

This is not a Hollywood film where someone waves a magic wand and miraculously fixes everyone’s problems. They are no easy answers and Pansy can’t change overnight.

Despite knowing this, it’s a shame where the film stops; it needed a little bit more.

Pansy could have been a one-note angry woman if it wasn’t for Baptiste bringing compassion and nuance to the role.

She helps us see that Pansy’s hard exterior is simply a mask and she is in fact a vulnerable and troubled woman who feels unloved.

Austin also deserves praise for offering balance to Pansy; she is sympathetic and the voice of reason.

Her on-screen daughters Kayla and Aleisha are radiant and full of life and energy, providing a stark contrast to Pansy’s withdrawn and monosyllabic son and husband.

Hard Truths is not exactly an enjoyable cinema experience, but this poignant character study is worth a watch simply for Baptiste’s extraordinary performance.

In cinemas from Friday 31st January

By Hannah Wales

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