InCinemas SG

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DIGITAL

Opening Date

29 May 2025

Rating

PG13 Some Coarse Language

Runtime

97 mins

Language

English - subtitles to be advised

Genre

Comedy, Drama

Director

Mike Leigh

Cast

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

Synopsis

Set in London, Mike Leigh’s new film explores family relationships in the post-pandemic world.

Reviews

By InCinemas 27 May 2025

A beautiful and meticulously crafted character study for the ages.

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Sometimes the best films of all are the quietest little gems that pack a mean punch. Writer-director Mike Leigh’s latest offering, Hard Truths, is one of those gems.

Featuring a powerhouse performance by Marianne Jean-Baptiste alongside Michele Austin and David Webber, the film tells the story of a depressed Pansy Deacon (Jean-Baptiste) and the relationship she has with her husband, son, and conversely good-humoured sister Chantelle (Austin).

Pansy lives her daily life keeping her home spotless and pristine. It’s a cold and rigid setting that matches her biting demeanour – chastising her husband Curtley and son Moses at every chance she gets, and arguing with every stranger she meets. In contrast to Pansy’s life is Chantelle’s, a single hairdresser with two adult daughters she has a close relationship with. There’s a beautiful sequence featuring the trio catching up on their day that reads so natural, signifying the kind of bond they have that Pansy and her family does not. It’s a refreshing break from Pansy’s dark cloud that looms over the film throughout. As much as it was enjoyable seeing Jean-Baptiste go off every time she has something to say, we most of all loved seeing the contrasting relationships both sisters have with their respective families, a raw representation of very real scenarios that we can relate to with our own kin.

During one of the sisters' encounters visiting their late mother’s grave, Pansy opens up to her sister that she fears her whole family hates her, a statement Chantelle disagrees with the statement and says, “I don’t understand you, but I love you.” It’s a turning moment that allows audience a glimpse at Pansy’s internal struggles causing her ebullition.

Underneath all of Pansy’s anger-filled rants is a sad broken woman that Jean-Baptiste effortlessly embodies, giving nuanced layers to an otherwise character easily unlikable. Every tick and enunciation is so carefully crafted and delivered. Her pent up frustration and disdain grow as the film progresses and eventually culminates in a cathartic outburst that relieves both the character and the audience. The very freeing moment happens when both sisters’ families gather at Chantelle’s for a tense-filled Mother’s Day lunch. Moses reveals he bought his mother flowers, contradicting her earlier statement and causing her to break down.

Hard Truths is a beautiful and meticulously crafted character study for the ages that not only shows us one's struggle with depression but also how those around them are affected. Sometimes the truth hurts but that’s life.
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