Thank the Cinema Gods, Mike Leigh Is Back

As a lifelong cinephile with a penchant for character-driven narratives, I must confess that Mike Leigh‘s latest offering, “Hard Truths,” has left an indelible mark on my cinematic soul. The portrayal of Pansy, brilliantly brought to life by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, is a masterclass in emotional complexity and raw human vulnerability.

In the opening scenes of Mike Leigh’s film “Hard Truths,” Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), our middle-aged lead character, jerks awake as if terrified. This suggests that she’s had a disturbing dream. However, as the story unfolds, we learn that it’s not just her dreams that are troubling – waking up is itself a jarring experience for Pansy. She doesn’t simply wake up gently; instead, she throws herself into consciousness with a startling half-scream. It becomes clear that Pansy’s nightmare isn’t something she experiences in sleep but rather the reality she faces upon waking – the world she encounters every morning is what terrifies her.

In the portrayal of Jean-Baptiste (famously nominated for her role in Leigh’s 1996 film Secrets & Lies), Pansy is a woman who dwells in perpetual dread and unease, manifesting this as an almost pathological aggression. She scolds her reserved, clumsy adult son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett) for venturing out for a stroll, fearing he might be apprehended for “loitering with intent.” She berates her husband Curtley (David Webber) for failing to provide employment for jobless Moses within their shared work environment. In a furniture store, she lashes out at an unsuspecting couple for placing their feet on the sofa, followed by a verbal attack on the sales assistant who dared to assist her. She engages in altercations at supermarket checkout lines, first with the cashier and later with other customers. Her actions reveal an obsessive-compulsive nature. She meticulously cleans her couch each morning. She complains about minutiae such as half-open doors and over-filled kettles. Her home is spotless – so sterile, organized, and devoid of personality, it appears to be an unoccupied hotel room. She refuses to venture into her vacant backyard, grumbling about “squirrel droppings and spoiled bird feces.

Pansy’s outbursts are often amusing, stemming from her humorous observations (like fat babies, dogs in coats, and the need for pockets in toddler clothes) as well as her biting sarcasm. Hard Truths could be Leigh’s funniest film in a while, but it’s the kind of laughter that brings an uneasy feeling, hinting at underlying troubles. Recall David Thewlis’s character Johnny from Leigh’s 1993 movie Naked, whose entertainingly sharp insults and millenarian speeches were signs of deep psychological wounds. In a way, Hard Truths resembles the opposite tone of Leigh’s 2008 comedy Happy Go Lucky, which showcased Sally Hawkins as an eternally optimistic woman whose cheerfulness clashed with her surroundings. Instead, it’s Pansy’s unrelenting negativity that puts her at odds with the people around her.

In addition, it’s evident that her actions have strained her relationships, as Moses and Curtley rarely respond to her. One can infer they’ve heard similar outbursts before, yet some subtle indications suggest Pansy’s distress has escalated. Originally, the film was scheduled to be shot in mid-2020, making one ponder how this story of a fearful and enraged woman would have resonated during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, her younger sister Chantelle (played by Michele Austin), a hairdresser, is lively and affectionate, with daughters who don’t quite grasp why their aunt is so bitter. There’s certainly family history, but Leigh prefers not to provide simple explanations; instead, he offers glimpses of the past and hints at emotional wounds. Each character has their reasons, yet Leigh focuses on the present, exploring how human actions ripple out and impact others. He also seeks out defining moments – those brief interactions and actions where life is forever altered. Leigh may not receive enough recognition for his filmmaking’s visual impact, but there are several close-ups, particularly near the end of Hard Truths, that reveal a moment of understanding on these characters’ faces, signaling that their lives will never be the same again.

Making its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film titled “Hard Truths” marks Leigh’s return to filmmaking after six years, and it’s his first production in a contemporary setting in over a decade. Among his period pieces, such as the 1999 movie “Topsy-Turvy“, there is at least one masterpiece. However, Leigh appears to thrive when working with modern themes: He typically starts with an idea, a location, or a scenario, and collaborates extensively with his actors for character development through in-depth research and improvisation, ultimately shaping the film’s narrative as the process unfolds.

For over half a century, he’s been working in this manner, creating an awe-inspiring collection of work. The characters portrayed by Leigh, particularly those from the working class, possess a unique authenticity and form that can only stem from intimate knowledge. They resonate with us because they seem like familiar variations on people we might have encountered in our lives. (Indeed, many of us may recognize a Pansy-like figure.) However, this sense of recognition carries a bittersweet undertone. Yet, it is accompanied by the uplifting comforts of art: Even at their most dismal, Leigh’s works and his characters brim with vitality. Some directors craft films that seem to hold the essence required to rejuvenate cinema if it ever disappeared. Mike Leigh, on the other hand, creates films that seem to contain the essence needed to revive humanity if we were ever to vanish.

2024-09-07 18:54

Thank the Cinema Gods, Mike Leigh Is Back

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