Hard Truths is the latest offering from legendary director Mike Leigh (Secrets and Lies).
Leigh makes films with no set script, exploring the social structure of British society.
The making of this film involved months of rehearsals, building the characters and story lines for a middle-class black Afro-Caribbean family living in post Covid London.
Marianne Jean-Baptiste (a long time collaborator with Leigh, who won an Oscar nomination for her role in Secrets and Lies) gives a brilliant performance as Patsy, a deeply disturbed and angry middle-aged woman suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Patsy starts her day waking in panic. She spends her time obsessively cleaning, terrified that animals and insects might get into the house, and shouting angrily at her plumber husband Curley (David Webber) and morose unemployed and overweight 22 year-old son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett), who spends most of his time in his bedroom. Both he and his father are beyond answering back.
When Curley goes to work and Moses goes for a lonely walk she vents her anger at everyone she meets – her doctor, the dentist, shop assistants, and even a man who asks politely if she is going to move her car from a car park when she sits fuming about her encounters with people in the local shops.
Her cheerful and loving hairdresser sister Chantal (beautifully played by Michele Austin) and her family try to make her life happier – but its impossible trying to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.
Marianne has said that “It’s really a risk that you take when you undertake a Mike Leigh job, because you don’t know what it is going to be. Everything is grown out of explanatory improvisation.”
Dick Pope is the cinematographer and the music is composed by Gary Yershon.
This is the 23rd film from Leigh, now 81.
The predominantly black ensemble cast are excellent, and the film is darkly humorous at times. It has been nominated for several awards and is part of The British Film Festival – which runs until December 8.
Brochures for the Festival are available at Luna cinemas.
97 minutes.
Showing at Luna Leederville, Palace Raine Square, Luna SX and Windsor Nedlands.
Watch the trailer…
