HArd Truths
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5 stars)
Mike Leigh’s films feature some of the cinematic landscape's most naturalistic and human characters. That also means he has some of the most vulnerable, volatile, vicarious, helpless, hapless, and hard-done-by leads. His latest, Hard Truths, is another incredible examination of the broken human condition that is abrasive, authentic, and deeply pained.
Set in London, the film follows the plight of depressed middle-aged woman Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) and her relationship with her close ones, including her crumbling relationship with her jovial sister Chantelle (Michele Austin), who is a polar opposite in terms of personality. Tensions continue to rise as the anniversary of their mother’s death approaches, and Pansy increasingly lashes out and withdraws from the world.
Angry, tragic and deeply pained, Leigh's latest film is a hard watch through to its unresolved ending, with a commanding Marianne Jean-Baptise who is an undeniable and volcanic powerhouse as the bitter and abrasive Pansy. She may be the most frustrating, insensitive, annoying, rude, cruel, arrogant, selfish, neurotic, hurtful, pained, grieved, emotionally unstable, anxious, depressed and deeply sad character audiences will ever have the fascinating experience of watching. Her deeply embodied hurt ripples into every shrill comment and sharp glare she delivers in a truly aching examination of a broken human being that will likely leave audiences deeply drained but overwhelmingly sympathetic. Mike Leigh’s mastery of naturalistic, humanistic dialogue is given numerous opportunities to shine. Many of the exasperated explosive rants provide no simple solutions but simply display the hurting reality of so many.
This depiction of mental illness may also be the most realistic depiction in a film of someone struggling with immense chronic depression, anxiety, agoraphobia, OCD and hypochondria - and the effects it has on their family and those they interact with within society. The rest of the ensemble is fantastic, capturing the subtle silences as effectively as the crackling dialogue. Still, Michele Austin stands out as Chantelle, the deeply patient and sympathetic sister to her thankless sibling. A challenging watch at times, given how bitter and abrasive and downright destructive its lead can be, but it’s also a deeply human film that never demonises the problematic person at its core.
Reel Dialogue: Hurt people hurt people
Pansey states with thorough disdain, “People. Can’t stand them. Cheerful grinning people.” She criticises and belittles family and strangers alike. Her deep hurt causes this woman to lash out at others and hurt them, too. This outward lament is a commonly felt feeling for many but one that very few so vitriolically express. However, The Bible features plenty of hurting people who cried out against the world in lament. The Psalms, Lamentations and many of the Prophets feature strong words decrying the world's hardships. And the example set is not to ignore or dismiss hurting people, but rather to love them, embrace them and be patient with them.
If you feel broken or hurt within, the words of Scripture are designed to bring comfort and hope. Jesus came not to save the healthy but the sick, those who felt lowly. For His heart is kind and inclined to those who sincerely need peace and tranquillity.
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” - Psalm 42:11
