Hard Truths

The trailer made the film appear to have depth and substance. Upon watching the film, I quickly discovered it was entirely misleading. Marianne Jean-Baptiste is a phenomenal actress but this film did not do her justice on any level. The story has zero direction, no real plot and drags on miserably the entire time. With the number of emotional outbursts the main character has it is nearly impossible to have any sympathy or compassion for her. Her hostility and anger overshadowed everything else. A truly dull and lifeless film.

Mike Leigh reunites with Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Michele Austin from his 1996 Secrets & Lies to tell a slice of life of a deeply depressive housewife struggles to understand her own psychologic battles and to be understood by her family, especially her effervescent hairdresser sister whose endeavours to maintain kinship may or may not be enough.

There is so much to say. So many themes and layers. As someone with Jamaican ancestry, I saw myself, my aunties, mother, grandmother's and many women in life struggle not knowing anxiety and depression had them bound and we call it THEM being just "miserable". For the a deeper analysis of when you see someone angry ... this was an example behind the supposed "angry black woman" seeing her humanity. For those who get ...get it and for those who didn't, I'm not surprised.

Three of us adults watch and enjoy a lot of movies. Based on the reviews we were looking forward to this movie. BUT we each thought it was a complete bust. Not funny. Way too slow. No message. Had no idea where it was going. Really pathetic ending. Sorry. Highly don't recommend.

There were four other people in the audience at my local boutique cinema when I saw "Hard Truths" this evening. Pansy's defensive attitude was so bad towards everybody she met, not just her poor long suffering husband and son, it was comedic at times. I thought the acting was brilliant but the ending was abrupt and made me (and the others in the audience) think there must be a Part 2! Maybe a sequel is coming ....................

I'm a huge Mike Leigh fan and was really excited by his new film! The trailer made it look funny and heart warming, as well as the expected hard-hitting stuff from him. Unfortunately the film itself- 1 hr 38 - disappointed. It was an endurance to watch those characters play out their individual and family dysfunctions. Like, REALLY difficult to watch: intergenerational trauma; unchecked mental health issues and how this affects everyone; aggression; stagnation; the ineptitude of the stereotypical male to respond to - well, mental health issues, and, just anything at all really! It was an endurance I was 100% willing to do for the anticipation of hope, resolution, healing.... we saw some snippets of these things, mostly a trigger for healing, which ultimately didn't lead anywhere, for any of the characters. When the film ended, you felt like it ended half way through the story. It made one feel rather flat - what, that's it? We needed to see these people evolve, even if very slightly, a glimmer of resolution. Instead we just saw them struggle and be a-holes to each other.

Hard Truths is a thorny, prickly drama about a London family and one very angry woman in particular. It's sometimes hard to watch but also totally compelling. Director Mike Leigh is a true British film master. He makes films about everyday people that are unflinching and searingly honest. Pansy is a woman in a loveless marriage. Her husband Curtley is quiet and reserved. Her 22yo son Moses, even more so. Pansy constantly rails against the world. Both inside the home and outside it. Every aspect of life is there for her to pick apart. Only her sister in Chantelle seems to have the stomach to put up with her. The film quietly tracks Pansy's life and as we go, we do find some reasons for her behaviour. This film hits hard and has deep emotional strength. There is also some humour mixed in amongst the drama. The acting is excellent, with Marianne Jean-Baptiste giving the performance of her lifetime as Pansy. Leigh is 82 now, but seems he is not slowing down at all. Long may be continue to make films like this.

Not for everyone but extremely powerful. It is like Leigh has peeled off the skin of his character and presented us with the raw flesh, painful, tragic, tearing into our own flesh Leigh is 82 and this is his King Lear. Words are superfluous here. There is just the hard truth.

This is a brilliant movie. At first there were comedic moments but then as the story unfolds, you see the legacy of a life with unresolved issues and how they affect those around them. The ending was sad, but also a glimmer of hope for Pansy's son. I loved it.

Movies about complicated women >>> Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Michele Austin give phenomenal performances, alongside a strong supporting cast making Hard Truths undoubtedly the best 2025 release that I have seen so far. An absolute perfected movie, that is until the ending which left me with an overwhelming feeling of "oh?". Regardless the rest of Hard Truths is so strong, the ending isn't that big of a disappointment. The comedy and emotional elements are perfectly crafted, never once seeming forced, an incredibly organic feeling while watching. This deserved the Oscar Noms over EP.