
HARD TRUTHS
Starring: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Tuwaine Barrett, Ani Nelson, Sophia Brown, and Jonathan Livingstone
Director: Mike Leigh

ADRIANO

I've been awaiting the next film from writer/director Mike Leigh, and while Hard Truths doesn't quite reach the heights of his best, it's still a great outing from the filmmaker. Marianne Jean-Baptiste is a force of nature here, especially in the first half, when she performs Leigh's ruthless dialogue with a natural ferocity that made me laugh a lot. The second half dives deep into the darkness that plagues the lead and her family with some unsettling realizations and heartbreaking facts. The ending will leave many unsatisfied with its ambiguity, myself included, but I was really into Hard Truths, overall.

AMARÚ

Life can truly be weird. Two people can experience the same circumstances, yet have two completely different outlooks on life. Director Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths is a tense look at the misery and joy people choose to carry with them. Marianne Jean-Baptiste is a force of fury that raised my stress levels to all-time highs, but her interactions with her life-affirming sister and two nieces (Michelle Austin, Sophia Brown, and Ani Nelson) poignantly make you ponder how you regard yourself and your relationships. Hard Truths is a bit overbearing without any true destination, but its performances provide genuine introspection and depth.

PAIGE

The truth about Hard Truths is that writer/director Mike Leigh gets the most out of his actors, particularly Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who excels in her portrayal of Pansy. She is able to masterfully express unfiltered sadness, frustration, and depression through the discourse. However, although this character-driven drama of generational anguish and rage is aided by the film's slice-of-life narrative approach rather than a structured premise, it doesn't have the necessary character layers for the audience to relate on a deeper level.

KATIE

Through the juxtaposition of two sisters’ lives, Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths presents a heartbreaking portrait of what clinical depression can look like as it seeps into every aspect of one's life, yet not without flashes of the director’s darkly comedic wit. Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s performance as Pansy is simply ferocious. She spits venom at those closest to her and seethes with unforgiving misery and an unabating sense of agitation, but also a heartbreaking awareness that she is struggling deeply and has been for a long time. The film doesn’t provide a satisfying resolution, but the stellar performances speak for themselves.
This film was reviewed by Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.