Hard Truths

Hard Truths revolves around a family in contemporary London, headed by Pansy as a mother and wife who always has to pull the cart. That makes her angry. Very angry. And she takes it out on everything and everyone, especially her husband and teenage son. Latest film by Mike Leigh.

Both films feature a starring role for Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who made history with her role in Secrets & Lies as the first black British actress nominated for an Academy Award.

Hard Truths revolves around a family in contemporary London, headed by Pansy, who is both a mother and a wife, always having to pull the cart. This makes her angry. Very angry. She is so oversensitive that she is ready to fly off the handle at the slightest possible infraction. She is merciless in her criticism of her husband Curtley and their almost adult son Moses. Whether it is in the supermarket, at the doctor’s or even at home, no one can please her. When we meet her sister Chantelle, she seems the complete opposite: a warm, cheerful woman, a beloved hairdresser and an attentive single mother of two successful daughters. So what has gone so wrong with Pansy?

Besides Secrets & Lies, Mike Leigh previously made Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky, Another Year and Mr. Turner. With Hard Truths he has succeeded in creating a challenging but also tender view of modern family life. Pansy's behavior is sometimes painful to watch, but is also occasionally so absurd and exaggerated that you will chuckle.

An intimate kitchen sink drama – a genre Leigh is a master of – Hard Truths offers a raw but honest portrait of a deeply unhappy wife and mother. Like Secrets & Lies , for which Jean-Baptiste was the first black woman to receive an Oscar nomination, Hard Truths also succeeds in deeply moving the viewer. The result is an honest drama that captures both the sadness and the humor of life.