Review: ‘Hard Truths’ is unkind but not heartless
‘Hard Truths’ follows a woman incapable of pleasant or even neutral interactions with anyone, including her family.
Most families have that one member that can be frustrating to love — maybe not all the time, but sometimes they make everyone wonder why they had to be a leaf on their family tree. It’s of course worse if they’re unbearable all the time or a member of your immediate family and therefore unavoidable. It can be difficult to find the strength and patience not to completely cut ties — to keep loving them even if you can’t understand them. In Hard Truths, a woman seeks conflict in every interaction, making her personal relationships challenging and external connections impossible.
Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) is a homebody, primarily because each time she goes outside she has a negative experience. The only common denominator in those situations is Pansy herself — but in her eyes, everyone else is the problem. Therefore, she stays in and strives to keep her stark home immaculate, berating her husband, Curtley (David Webber) and adult son, Moses (Tuwaine Barrett), for any infractions she perceives. They’ve grown so accustomed to her callous personality they barely even register her remarks anymore. Pansy’s sister, Chantelle (Michele Austin), is the only one who continues to take her behaviour in stride, repeatedly reaching out in spite of Pansy’s rebukes. It’s hard to believe the sisters are even related. Chantelle is warm, outgoing and cherishes the time she’s able to spend with her salon clients and two daughters — Pansy’s total opposite.
After two back-to-back period films, writer and director Mike Leigh has returned to the contemporary world to share this story in which it’s difficult to sympathize with the protagonist. It’s not the first time he’s depicted a sullen character, but Pansy takes the cake. Jean-Baptiste delivers a powerhouse performance as a woman that appears to hate everyone and everything, including dogs in coats and babies wearing pockets. Pansy’s name couldn’t be more ironic as she raves against anyone with the misfortune of crossing her path, then paints herself as the victim when she describes the encounter later. Her impassioned rants and scathing remarks surge from her mouth unfiltered as considering someone else’s feelings is not a thought that would ever even occur to her.
Yet, although audiences may be initially shocked and appalled by Pansy’s behaviour, the longer it continues, the more apparent it becomes that there is a deeper issue she is avoiding. A sense of fear underlines her tirades, expressing anxiety about her son’s safety and ability to live independently or the potential for dirt, insects and vermin to infiltrate her space. Her anger is utterly exhausting for her and all those around her, yet she can’t seem to explain it or reign it in. Chantelle’s cheerful demeanour is such a contrast to her sister as Austin appears to burst with positivity in comparison, in spite of portraying a fairly ordinary person who simply doesn’t abhor the company of others. She doesn’t even flinch at Pansy’s harsh words, instead conveying a sense of sadness for her sister, which is both a testament to her performance and the character.
While it would be simple to let everyone hate Pansy, it’s to Leigh’s and Jean-Baptiste’s credit that they create a cantankerous character that is so inexplicably miserable, she earns the audience’s compassion.
Director: Mike Leigh
Starring: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin and Tuwaine Barrett
