Legendary filmmaker Mike Leigh reunites with his “Secrets and Lies” actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste in the compelling family drama “Hard Truths.” The duo returns to the screen with a poignant and often humorous exploration of familial bonds, revealing the complex tapestry of love interwoven with threads of pain, struggle, and the unending quest for understanding.
In a performance already garnering awards talks is the wonderful Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Pansy, whose body language moves from the first scene. Pansy has an addiction to her fear, a woman whose anger is a lost shield that saves her from the world but that splits her family apart.
Jean-Baptiste is a blazing realist in the role, and the craziness buzzes throughout. Her Pansy is no cartoon of suffering; she is a lurid reminder of parental responsibility and the crushing burden of responsibility. We become engrossed in her world, to feel her hurt even as we shudder at her fiery fury, thanks to Leigh’s savvy writing and never letting a character become a mere villain.
The only one in comparison to Pansy is her younger sister, who, with the adorable Michele Austin in a performance as warm and rugged as could be, is surprisingly convincing. Austin’s heroine – a single mom dealing with life with grace through the whirlwind – becomes a hope and promise.
She has a salon where she speaks, and people gather, and it is a safe space that Pansy seems to enjoy as much as she hates. Austin is survival and community in the fabric of their relationship, while Pansy is loneliness and chaos. The sisters’ relationships flow seamlessly between romance, anger, and desperation, with each act beset by the sadness of their separate lives.
The directing by Leigh is once again a symphony of raw human storytelling. He does black comedy well and intersperses laughs throughout scenes of despair, a constant reminder that families have room to be the worst with some smiles. The dialogue is funny, and every sentence is carefully planned to reveal a character and explain the family world. Pansy’s temper tantrums or her sister’s restrained denials – the two have something about them that works- an annoying but tender waltz familiar to anyone who has sat in close quarters with family.
The film’s most remarkable achievement is how brutally and grudgingly it shows family love and obligation, in a balance between obligation and the difficulties of emotional life. Pansy writhes in the face of her demons. The movie asks What it means to love someone who hurts you. What about the knot of devotion, frustration, and pure love? Leigh’s broad book takes us into these waters, into the uncanny ability of families to stand under stress and loss and never lose sight of an underlying love.
Mike Leigh’s talent for character-based storytelling is unparalleled, and he has made a movie that will remain cherished after the credits roll, a bittersweet tribute to the connections we make and the affections that are unremittingly disruptive yet painful.
Final Grade: A
“Hard Truths” opens nationwide on 10 January 2025
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