HARD TRUTHS

UK, 2024, 97 minutes, Colour.

Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Tuwaine Barrett, Ani Nelson, Sophia Brown, Jonathan Livingstone.

Directed by Mike Leigh.

Mike Leigh has been a significant writer-director in British cinema for many decades, creating the screenplay, getting his cast to improvise to create the dialogue. He has won many awards. He has made a great impression by dramatising British life – awards for films like Naked, Secrets and Lies, Another Year, Vera Drake… And he also made historical dramas especially Topsy-Turvey on Gilbert and Sullivan, and Mr Turner, about the artist.

This is a film from Mike Leigh in his 80s, delayed by the covid experience, partly financed from Spanish sources. But, it is set in London, in suburban streets and houses, looking around the district, in Trafalgar Square, but also in homes, hairdressers, doctors’ surgeries, the dentists, supermarkets, the areas of ordinary life.

The central characters come from families originally from the Caribbean, close-knit. But, they are seen in the context of contemporary British multicultural life.

At the centre is a middle-aged woman, Pansy, an extraordinary performance from Marianne Jean-Baptiste, so effective in Leigh’s Secrets and Lies. One reviewer referred to a “knockout performance”. Not entirely wrong because the nature of the performance is the knockout expression of Pansy’s continued anger, focused on herself, resentful, critical, unable to see the good in others or anything, and prone to extraordinary verbal outbursts which, for some may seem very funny, but for others may seem very serious, and concern about Pansy’s mental health.

At home, she is fussy, obsessively tidy, door shut, fears of insects, alarmed at a fox in the garden, continually criticising her long-suffering husband, a builder, continually criticising her 22-year-old unemployed son. She is concerned about her health, wants to sleep, continually angry.

A significant time is Mother’s Day, her cheery sister who has two lively daughters, is a hairdresser who looks after her sister but also becomes the butt of criticism, suggests they visit their mother’s grave at the cemetery. Pansy uses all kinds of excuses to delay her decision but eventually goes, is unhappy at the cemetery is her sister cares for the grave, reminisces about her mother’s severity and favouritism of her sister. She is persuaded to go to her sister’s house for dinner, her husband and son there, she refusing to eat, silent and critical while the others try to cope. But, this is to be something of a breakthrough, some moments of hysterical laughter, weeping – but will this be enough?

There is audience sympathy for the husband, silent and long-suffering, a back injury at work, a moment with a tear. And puzzle about the son, wondering whether he is on the spectrum, silent, in his room, computer games, books about planes, model plane.

Leigh’s home dramas are slices of life. And, in real life, Leigh is  he something of a curmudgeon himself and we wonder about what is projecting onto the character of Pansy and what he is saying about life’s hard experiences.

1. Mike Leigh film, expectations? The title, hard, grim – but the truth?
2. The British settings, suburbs, homes and streets, buildings sites, offices, wandering central London, the hairdresser’s…? The musical score?
3. The focus on British citizens, originally from the Caribbean, traditions, families, connections, language?
4. Issues in multicultural England?
5. Pansy Duncan, her story, her background, age, marriage to Kurtly, the years, attitude towards her son, Moses, her contact with her sister, styling hair, the conversations, her nieces?
6. Pansy, angry with the world, the reasons, memories of her mother and criticisms of her mother, her mother relying on her, her sister the favourite? Expectations? Relationship with her husband, demands on her son, her fastidious cleaning, keeping the door shut, insects, seeing the fox? The daily routines, wanting to sleep, concentration on her health, everything focused on her?
7. Marianne Jean-Baptiste at her performance, screen presence, her outbursts, verbal, complex, edge, at home, in the street, at the supermarket, inspecting the sofas and the attendant, and her hurried exit from the store, her behaviour towards the doctor, towards the dentist? Unrelenting? Audience response to such outbursts? Hearing them as funny? Hearing them as serious? Concern about her mental health? And her inability to get help, receive help?
8. Kurtly, quiet, patient, at work, with Virgil, Virgil and his conversations, the details of their work, curtly coming home, the harsh reception, criticism of him snoring, her time in bed, not preparing the meal, the getting the chicken take away? At work, his back, Virgil helping him home, Pansy and her reluctance to help, his sitting quietly, his tear?
9. Moses, age, no job, perhaps on the spectrum? Playing the games, books on planes, the model plane? Wandering around, his being taunted by the boys in the street? Mother’s Day, the continual attacks by his mother, his continued eating? Size? Buying the flowers for his mother, her reaction? With his cousins, the meal? His finally going for the walk, sitting in Trafalgar Square, the pleasant young woman, offering the sweets, talking, his smile? Future?
10. Chantelle, at the salon, her charm with the customers, the chatter? With Pansy? Doing her hair? The conversations? The arrangement to go to the cemetery, Pansy on and off, sharp with her sister? The phone calls? Her dressing up, going, the episode at the cemetery, the flowers, Pansy sitting back, observing, not wanting to be there, the memories of their mother?
11. Chantelle persuading Pansy to come for Mother’s Day, her daughters and cheeriness, the meal, Kurtly and Moses, at the table, Pansy and her refusal to eat, joining in the toast, leaving the room, Chantelle talking, not eating?
12. Pansy and her outburst, laughter, tears? Some release? But not enough? Going back home, the same thing happening again?
13. Chantelle’s daughters, seeing that work, discussions about the perfume, the haughty manager and her comments, the sympathetic manager? The other daughter, in the office, having to alter the files? The playfulness at home with their mother?
14. A slice of life in the Mike Leigh fashion?