London Film Festival 2024 – Hard Truths ★★★★

Released: 31 January 2025

Director: Mike Leigh

Starring: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Tuwaine Barrett

Being part of a Caribbean family in London is not often a subject tackled in depth within many films. But, Mike Leigh’s latest film Hard Truths captures the ups and downs and nuances of such family dynamics whilst re-uniting Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Michele Austin with whom he worked on Secrets & Lies. Hard Truths is an enjoyable, unfettered microscopic gaze behind closed doors within the pride of Caribbean households with other rituals of Caribbean home life, such as those day long visits to the hairdressers, peppered throughout with a standout performance from Marianne Jean-Baptiste portraying Pansy as that formidable Caribbean mother that many of us may love deep down but find difficult to like!

The beauty of Hard Truths lies in this authentic representation of this microcosm without reliance on stereotypes. Jean-Baptiste drew inspiration from Caribbean people that she knows to depict Pansy’s journey. There are scenes of family dinners with the hot pepper sauce bottle’s label at the back but those from Caribbean families will instantly recognise its presence. Audiences may also reminisce about those Sunday dinners squashed up on the sofa visiting extended family with multiple, delicious dishes including plantains and macaroni cheese!

The agoraphobic Pansy is the ultimate domineering matriarch. Highly critical of her family and others, whilst peering through her blinds and is extremely house proud. Pansy is the embodiment of tough love as no one is spared from her acerbic quips and Jean-Baptiste’s facial expressions are an acting masterclass in themselves as they range from displeasure to the masochistic pleasure that Pansy derives from being confrontational and uttering withering put downs to whomever dares to crosses her path.

Yet, Leigh, in this slice of life portrait reveals the multi-faceted layers to Pansy’s personality. Indeed, the film positions itself as a tragi-comedy akin to a Shakespearean dissection of melodramatic family dynamics. But, despite Pansy’s brash exterior there is a degree of tenderness towards her sibling as she is coerced to take a trip down memory lane, permitting the film to expand its themes to explore the impact of grief, eldest child burdens and generational trauma. Leigh and Jean-Baptiste clearly work well together trusting each other in the process to reveal what lies beneath the tip of Pansy’s iceberg. Without relying on heavy exposition or engaging in therapy speak, the burdens placed upon Pansy are etched upon her face in key moments where she is forced to examine her emotions, moving beyond her impenetrable persona. A small gesture of a surprise and unwavering kindness prove to be the triggers for Pansy’s unravelling and Jean-Baptiste excels in her raw performance of a woman in crisis.

Yet, Hard Truths is not a bleak story – its premise may seem simple but it is effective and there are moments of humour injected throughout. Pansy’s loneliness and unhappy family dynamics are brought to the fore within her interactions with her long suffering husband, Curtley (David Webber), and her twenty something year old son, Moses (Tuwaine Barrett) – who displays elements of teenage rebellion. Their performances, compared to Jean-Baptiste’s, are understated but equally impressive and serve to represent that silent role undertaken by some black men within the presence of a fiery black woman. However, Leigh is careful to avoid lazy, cartoonish antics and whilst Pansy and family may be relatable, they are never reduced to caricatures thus thankfully avoiding falling prey to predictable tropes.

The antithesis to Pansy’s embittered, nuanced and complex persona is that of her joyous sibling Chantelle whose relationship with her children embodies positivity. Their dynamic therefore invokes that black girl joy and is a welcomed respite which illustrates the different perspectives within families to satisfy our desires for fewer negative depictions, within film, of the life of Black Britons on London’s streets. Indeed, Hard Truths portrays a local’s perspective of London, from within houses, and only presents the touristy side of central London in one key scene where Tesco’s strawberry sour sweets have a role in creating a bonding moment for Moses, which is cathartic for the audience too.

Hard Truths presents no easy answers and is subtle but illuminating in its approach towards the hidden pain embedded in families and the harmful impact of unresolved generational traumas. There may inevitably be comparisons to Steve McQueen’s recent anthology Small Axe, with the Lovers Rock film from that series reflecting the mood of the Caribbean food and music throughout, the famous Chaka Demus and Pliers song Murder She Wrote even features in Hard Truths. These representations are important for the storytelling of Caribbean stories to demonstrate the variety of experiences that we have and it is therefore pleasing that Leigh tackles these subjects sensitively. Jean-Baptiste shines in Hard Truths, with her tour de force delivery and, despite appearing disagreeable and cantankerous, we ache with her when her character Pansy exorcises her demons.  There is no denying that Hard Truths’ compelling nature will ensure that we question ourselves and our family relationships and will now hopefully resonate with and appreciate the difficulties encountered by our Caribbean parents and grandparents, who may not always seem easy to love.