I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with host Bill Carroll to talk the new movies coming to theatres including Amy Adams in “Nightbitch,” the ghost story “Presence,” the sky high “Flight Risk” and the crusty drama of “Hard Truths.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: Set in London, the character study “Hard Truths,” now playing in theatres, follows a depressed middle-aged woman as she blazes a path through life.
CAST: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Tuwaine Barrett, Ani Nelson, Sophia Brown. Directed by Mike Leigh.
REVIEW: It’s hard to imagine a character less likable than Pansy, as played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste in “Hard Truths.” She’s crabby, caustic and never leaves a sharp comment unsaid. Whether you are family, the local dentist, a store clerk or a complete stranger at the neighborhood grocery, no one is spared her wrath.
You wouldn’t want to spend a second with her in real life but shot through the empathetic lens of Mike Leigh’s camera and performed with depth by Jean-Baptiste, she becomes, if not sympathetic, at least understandable.
What could have been a portrait of an unpleasant person becomes something fathomable as we learn of Pansy’s past. A deep seeded grief informs her every move. Leigh’s script doesn’t dig deep, but it doesn’t have to, he has Jean-Baptiste to portray the hurt that drives Pansy to extremes. It is a ferocious performance, one that reverberates with pain.
You may not want to spend a lot of time with her, but Jean-Baptiste guarantees you’ll be fascinated by her.
“Hard Truths” does get repetitive in places, but as a showcase for Jean-Baptiste it is an unforgettable portrait of a destructive woman unable, or unwilling, to love herself.
