A Bafta-nominated film dubbed ‘gruelling’ and ‘magnificent’ is streaming now on Netflix.
Starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, and David Webber, Hard Truths shifts between various members of a Black family living in London.
Among them is the angry, depressed, and isolated Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) as well as her sister Chantelle (Michele Austin), who remains sympathetic to her sibling despite their differences.
The film is directed by Mike Leigh and premiered at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival in 2024 to critical acclaim.
Jean-Baptiste received Critics’ Choice, Bafta, and Gotham Award nominations for her performance, while the film was named one of the top 10 independent films of the year by the National Board of Review.
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Hard Truths currently sits at an impressive 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus reading: ‘Marianne Jean-Baptiste puts on a prickly masterclass in Hard Truths, another superb character study from writer-director Mike Leigh.’
In their review, Financial Times wrote: ‘Call it the sorrow of the ordinary front door, of which Hard Truths grows into a graceful study. Credit to Jean-Baptiste and the actors. And to Leigh, for making, at 81, one of the best films of his career.’
Empire added: ‘A gruelling but ultimately rewarding experience, this is Leigh at his most confrontational, devastating and humane, aided by the unadulterated power of Jean-Baptiste’s career-redefining performance.’
New Statesman said: ‘It’s a tour de force, another product of Leigh’s method of protracted workshopping and improvisation before the shoot (14 weeks of rehearsal, followed by a six-week shoot in this case). Pansy is as much her creation as Leigh’s, if not more so.’
Many heaped praise on Jean-Baptiste, with iNews describing her performance as ‘formidable and heartbreaking’ and The Spectator calling her ‘magnificent.’
Salon.com surmised: ‘Hard Truths is a film for a world that has only gotten angrier, yet its prolific central collaboration cleverly suggests that enduring mutual respect is a force powerful enough to combat such profound rage.’
Speaking to Metro earlier this year, Jean-Baptiste explained the nuanced portrayal of her character.
‘People ask about her anger a lot and obviously, when playing her, you don’t play anger. It has to have a root,’ she said.
‘So I see pain and not being willing to investigate that pain which causes frustration, anxiety, fear, and yes, ultimately, anger.’
She continued: ‘The process is so detailed and long. We’ve created these characters from scratch.
‘They’re based on real people, although the people they’re based on would never in a million years be able to recognise themselves because we just create a whole new history, background and all that stuff.’
Hard Truths is available to stream now on Netflix
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