Hard Truths

★★★★ “A Mike Leigh classic… Marianne Jean-Baptiste is exceptional” The Guardian

British auteur Mike Leigh (Life is Sweet, Mr. Turner, Another Year) reunites with his Secrets & Lies star Marianne Jean-Baptiste for this fierce, compassionate and darkly funny character study. 

Angry, depressed and wracked by fear, Pansy (BAFTA-winner Jean-Baptiste) lashes out at family and strangers. Her constant criticism isolates her from others, save her warm, easygoing sister Chantal (Michele Austin – Another Year), who remains sympathetic despite their clashing temperaments. Inversely recalling the preoccupations of Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) – with its thoughtful look at a life lived optimistically – this rich and expansive film from a master dramatist explores family, sisterhood and the enduring mysteries of character.