Hard Truths
audience Reviews
, 82% Audience Score- Rating: 5 out of 5 starsTo the core of everyday life and people..quirky but still real . Very good
- Rating: 4.5 out of 5 starsThe amazing three decades since Secrets and Lies has seen Baptiste head to Hollywood and carve out a successful career: but here she is at her best, back at the beginning with her roots in north London, full circle and with Mike Leigh’s fascinating script able to mesmerize us. Torturous and traumatic but very watchable …
- Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGood movie that shows what can happen if you let unresolved issues linger in your life. It can affect how you feel about yourself, how others feel about you, and how you approach the world.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 starsMarianne Jean-Baptiste is spellbinding as the incarnation of contemporary existential malaise, our collective inability to abide the rubbish that is modern life. Sad but enthralling, this movie is cinema at its highest level. Do yourself a favour and watch this masterpiece
- Rating: 3.5 out of 5 starsGreat performance from Baptiste, and I know the message is supposed to be that she is mentally ill, and needs help, but I came away feeling some people just need to be repeatedly punched in the face until they learn how to act.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 starsMISERY Mike Leigh films are often a study in frustration for those in search of cookie plot structure. And yet, they strike a nerve or three, while sticking around long after viewing. Buoyed by excellent, understated performances, especially from lead Marianne Jean-Baptiste, "Hard Truths" focuses on a struggling family with no apparent reasons for struggle. As the overtly dominant matriarch, Pansy whips verbal lashes to anyone within earshot, whether it is her beaten down husband, her detached adult son, her bouncy sister, or someone at the grocery check out line. Venom is not spared. There is no obvious source which fuels this vitriol, but it becomes clear that Pansy has issues, issues that may not have solutions. Makes for a frustrating watch, eschewing the classic conflict, clash and conclusion Cs of cinema 101. Perhaps the point is that depression may not have an easily identifiable source. Leigh is a master of nuance, delivering a series of seemingly insignificant details which build to an emotional crescendo. Well, more like a gentle wave of the human condition. A niche film that favours performance over substance. Above all, this is a strong character study, and those willing to ride along, will find an emotional gamut of a movie with a long shelf life. The feel bad movie of the year. - hipCRANK
- Rating: 2 out of 5 starsFor a film titled Hard Truths, Pansy sure doesn't face any. Her character is presented with one opportunity after another, to confront her struggle but never ultimately does. Even unto the end, when someone close to her actually needs her help. CONTINUE READING ON LETTERBOXD: https://boxd.it/8E6TkV
- Rating: 4 out of 5 starsSuch good acting, whole cast. Oh my days the husband’s tears as he waits in hope and the tragedy that he’s not able to see the love around him, then brilliant to see the son with a chance to finally blossom in such a random encounter. Our bread is not buttered for us in this film but we’re right in there with them, and I liked seeing life from a different angle.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 starsVery well acted. Deserved Oscar nominations for lead & supporting actress, plus, screenplay.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 starsBrilliant film. Very moving and thought provoking.