TORONTO – Pansy is angry. She’s angry at the woman in line with her at the grocery store checkout. She’s angry at her dentist. She is pretty much angry at everything. Most of all, she’s angry at her husband and her son. And they are indifferent to her pain. Apathetic almost. And while these rants are often genuinely hilarious to anyone not on the receiving end of them, they are killing her. They are breaking her soul. That is the beguiling scenario that encompasses Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths,” a world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival which features a powerhouse performance from none other than Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
We never discover how long this has been Pansy’s life, but upon entering her immaculate home, you can sense a control freak lives on the premises. Not a spec of dust. Not one thing is out of place. It’s truly remarkable that her son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett, impressive) is allowed to keep his room as barely disheveled as it is.
Living at home at 22, unemployed and aimless, Moses wanders London on walks every day. Beyond those excursions, he would rather spend his days listening to music on his headphones, playing flying simulation games, and reading books on airplanes than engage with the world. He’s practically telling his family he wants to fly away, he just can’t say it, or much else for that matter, out loud. It’s as though he’s verbally beaten into submission by his mother.
Pansy’s husband, Curtley (David Webber, his eyes convey a lifetime), at least has an escape. His plumbing business keeps the family solvent and, like his son, he isn’t much of a talker. Not even while on the job with his young, energetic employee (Jonathan Livingstone). It’s more than obvious Curtley would like Pansy to pull back the reins, to show some compassion, but, like Moses, he seems to have given up on that a long time ago.
On the flip side, Chantelle (Michele Austin, marvelous), lives her life in striking contrast to her older sister. A beauty shop owner, she is charismatic and kind and enjoys gossiping with her clients. Her two adult daughters, Kayla (Ani Nelson) and Aleisha (Sophia Brown) have white-collar corporate careers and are comparably a breath of fresh air. They adore their mother, encourage her, and laugh their asses off with her. The longer the film unspools the harder it is to believe Chantelle and Pansy’s broods could be so inherently different. And yet, they are.
In a movie full of small, almost nonconsequential events, the most important happens on one fateful Mother’s Day. Her sister may not want to get out of bed or deal with people in the real world if she doesn’t have to, but Chantelle isn’t going to give up trying. On this particular holiday, she invites Pansey, Moses, and Curtley to her apartment to celebrate. As the two men quietly eat, Kayla and Aleisha do everything they can to genuinely engage with their cousin to break him out of his shell. The two sisters are somehow even more excited than Pansy to share he has flowers for her back home.
Much to Pansy’s embarrassment, Curtley completely ignores his nieces. Pansy doesn’t react in a hurricane of anger to his indifference. Instead, she breaks down in a flood of tears and unfurls an avalanche of emotional pain. And her sister, who only wants her to find peace, is helpless to console her. In this moment, Jean-Baptiste throws a cinematic gut punch of the highest order. It’s astonishing.
Like almost all of his films, the 81-year-old auteur works over a months-long rehearsal process collaborating with his actors. Every line is distinct. Every reaction has intent. That context makes every performance even more impressive, and certainly Jean-Baptiste’s. There is no artifice. You may not know anyone like Pansy in your immediate circle, but you know her by the end of the film. Pansy’s tenacious outbursts are so intense they could be outright camp in the wrong hands. Jean-Baptiste simply won’t let that occur. You believe this woman exists. And Leigh and Jean-Baptiste ensure she will haunt you.
Full warning, if you are looking for answers to all your questions at the end of “Hard Truths” you may not find them. The film comes to a poetic close that will be ambiguous for many. Pansy may not find peace. She may not stop being angry, not until it’s too late. But like many of the characters Leigh has crafted with his actors over the decades, you absolutely won’t forget her. [A-/B+]
“Hard Truths” opens in limited release on December 6.
Get complete coverage from the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on the Playlist here.