Hard Truths film review: Mike Leigh deserves Bafta nominations for this incredible return
Hard Truths review and star rating: ★★★★
In Hard Truths Mike Leigh, one of Britain’s greatest living directors, reunites with actor Marianne Jean-Baptiste nearly thirty years after her cast her in the exceptional Secrets & Lies for a new hard-hitting drama.
Jean-Baptiste plays Pansy, a wife and mother whose short temper barely covers deep-set depression and anxiety. As the anniversary of her mother’s death approaches, she unwillingly confronts the reasons for her unhappiness.
More narrow in scope than Leigh’s last two films, historical dramas Mr Turner and Peterloo, the director returns to the setting that made his name with another exploration of homelife. Great emotional roller coasters are ridden out in pristine living rooms, or at gravesides.
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Hard Truths is ultimately a film about mental illness; what happens when it is left to fester for years at a time. It’s uncomfortable in places, and lacks the satisfaction of a neat conclusion, but the humanity of the piece is undeniable.
Jean-Baptiste slips comfortably back into Leigh’s world with a breath-taking performance with a character who is incredibly abrasive yet demands our sympathy. It’s wrong that Hard Truths didn’t get an Oscar nomination, although BAFTA may right that wrong.
David Webber and Tuwaine Barrett are brilliant as Pansy’s husband and son, both affected by her malaise to the point of developing their own issues. Michele Austin is a welcome contrast as Chantelle, Pansy’s sister, a happy-go-lucky outlier.
Like contemporary Ken Loach, Leigh doesn’t make films that fit neatly in a cinema schedule, and that’s perhaps what makes them special. Hard Truths’ sombre tone makes it harder to love than his greatest works, but it proves that both director and star are still capable of making magic together.