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.
“Another Year,” the new kitchen-sink drama from British director Mike Leigh should more accurately be titled “Look at All the Lonely People.” A nicely rendered portrait of forlorn folks, it’s as if Leigh tried to make a film as dour as his last movie, “Happy-Go-Lucky,” was effervescent.
Much of the action in “Another Year” revolves around the home of Tom and Gerri (Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen), a happy couple just a few years shy of retirement. With open arms and open hearts they welcome a diverse cast of characters — people as unstable as they are stable — into their home, including Gerri’s desperately unhappy co-worker Mary (Lesley Manville) and Tom’s old friend Ken (Peter Wight). Stirred into the mix are the couple’s geeky son (Oliver Maltman), his girlfriend (Karina Fernandez) and Tom’s recently widowed brother (“Harry Potter’s” David Bradley).
As the title suggests, “Another Year” takes place over the course of a year, divided into four sections, each representing a season. Presented as a slice-of-life look at this group of people — very light on plot but heavy on character — it has little to do with the passing of time, except to imply that time doesn’t really heal all wounds, but the loose structure gives form to the otherwise shapeless, although entertaining, story.
Performances rich in nuance abound — Broadbent is his usually effortless self and Sheen is warm and watchable — but it is Lesley Manville who steals the show. Her take on Mary is the personification of dissatisfaction and distress and dominates the movie.
“Another Year” isn’t a traditional narrative but like the best of Leigh’s films it is unflinching in its portrayal of real — not reel — life.
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.
