A film distributed by Bleecker Street Media that’s getting buzz for its lead actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste but that may not necessarily triumph much in this awards season is “Hard Truths.”
Many press folks on social media are discussing the film, with those regular moviegoers saying they have never heard of it.
“Hard Truths” is out in some theaters now and was featured during the recent Chicago International Film Festival last October.
The film follows the lead character Pansy, (played by Jean-Baptiste), a wife and mother living in the outskirts of London. In a film, which is directed by Michael Leigh who led her in the 1996 film “Secrets and Lies,” Jean-Baptiste deals with what I peg as depression, (although the film is being touted as a comedy), while bluntly alienating herself from her family and others with whom she comes in contact.
The opening scene shows Pansy blasting away at a grocery store clerk, insulting her intelligence and suggesting that she find another job. She then scowls at others in line behind her.
Pansy’s husband works as a plumber, and her son lives aimlessly with seemingly no future plans. He is, in fact, bullied when he goes outside of the home.
But, I liken this outside bullying to what he endures at home. When her young son is prepping to go out one day dressed in his favorite hoodie, she berates him, suggesting that he looks like a thug and will get arrested.
Is there any saving grace for her attitude?
She could have obsessive-compulsive disorder as she feverishly wipes down her leather sofa, while proclaiming that no one cleans as thoroughly as she does; borderline personality disorder as she goes in and out with trying to be pleasant (notably more episodes of being out) or unprocessed trauma, as she is so distastefully acerbic most of the time).
Something is sparking this festering outage, and as the movie unfolds, it appears to be the death of her mother, which is explored in a Mother’s Day trip to the cemetery with her sister Chantelle, played by Michele Austin.
Chantelle is a salon hairdresser and single mother to two young women. She enjoys a great relationship with her kids, a marked difference from Pansy’s relationship with her immediate family members.
This speaks to the fact that two people brought up in the same environment can be so different. Pansy is so insufferably sad and angry, and Chantelle is so bubbly.
As she proceeds to visit Chantelle’s home for a holiday dinner, Pansy is obviously uneasy, which creates awkwardness.
Instance after instance Pansy’s source of and cure for her depression isn’t totally conquered. I suppose the tidbits in the film that are funny labels it as a comedy. However, I didn’t view it as a comedy. It is a serious case study in human behavior and the pathology of mental illness.
On the other hand, her observations about life come in the form of one-liners that are hilarious.
The end finds Pansy just as withdrawn as in the beginning, but finds her son triumphant.
It’s a great film, and Jean-Baptiste has won a few awards so far, notably the New York Film Critics Circle Award, the National Society of Film Critics Award and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award. These totaled meant that she became the first Black actress to win the ‘trifecta’ of these awards.
Jean-Baptiste has received a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) nom for Best Leading Actress. However, the Oscar nominations were expected to be announced earlier this week. Here’s fingers crossed that this brilliant performance by 57-year-old Jean-Baptiste will be recognized. She’s been in the acting game—both wide screen and television—for decades.
Look for “Hard Truths” at your local theater. Take a look at a trailer: https://tinyurl.com/458p47tx.