Hard Truths (2025) is an intimate, quietly devastating character study from Mike Leigh, a filmmaker known for his deeply human, observational storytelling. While I haven’t spent much time immersed in Leigh’s filmography, this latest effort—anchored by an Oscar-worthy performance from Marianne Jean-Baptiste—proved to be an absorbing introduction to his distinct, unvarnished style.
Jean-Baptiste stars as Pansy, a woman whose simmering grief and resentment spill over into cutting remarks and searing confrontations, isolating her from nearly everyone except her ever-patient sister Chantal (Michele Austin). Still reeling from the recent death of her mother, Pansy’s relationships with her soft-spoken husband Curtley (David Webber) and introverted son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett) grow more strained by the day. The film unfolds like a kitchen sink drama, its naturalistic dialogue and unvarnished domestic tension giving it the feel of a stage play brought to life.
Though Mike Leigh insists Hard Truths is not a COVID-era film, there’s a deep, lingering sense of isolation at its core. The movie traps you in Pansy’s world of pent-up frustration, her every interaction laced with bitterness and brutal honesty. She lashes out at family and strangers alike, from the people she lives with to the nurses and clerks who cross her path. Yet beneath the surface of her prickly, often grating personality, Leigh and Jean-Baptiste build a portrait of grief and loneliness that demands empathy, even as Pansy pushes everyone away.
Jean-Baptiste delivers an astonishing performance, the kind that should have put her squarely in Oscar contention. She fully inhabits Pansy’s contradictions—her harshness, her vulnerability, her buried longing for connection. Even when she’s at her most difficult, there’s an undeniable humanity in her portrayal. Every character in Hard Truths feels deeply lived-in, the type you just want to reach out and embrace, even as they struggle to do the same for each other.
That said, the film’s structure can feel repetitive, with Pansy’s worldview hammered home a bit too many times. At 97 minutes, the story still manages to feel stretched thin, its moments of revelation arriving late in the film’s final act. Mike Leigh’s approach is purposeful, though—he makes you sit with Pansy’s pain, showing how deep-seated resentment can quietly wear down a family over years, not just days.
Ultimately, Hard Truths is a sincere and emotionally raw film, one that captures the messiness of real relationships with Leigh’s signature naturalism. The muted, almost mundane tone masks a boiling undercurrent of tension, making the film feel like a window into real lives quietly unraveling. Marianne Jean-Baptiste is the undeniable highlight, delivering a performance that lingers long after the film ends.
Rating: 7/10
Hard Truths (2025)
- Cast: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Tuwaine Barrett
- Director: Mike Leigh
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Runtime: 97 minutes
- Rated: R
- Release Date: January 10, 2025