MARIANNE JEAN-BAPTISTE IS WORTHY OF ANOTHER TRIP TO THE OSCARS FOR HER BRILLIANT, BITING PERFORMANCE IN MIKE LEIGH'S ‘HARD TRUTHS'
It shouldn't be hard for "Hard Truths" to get some Oscar love, but that doesn't mean it won't be.
British actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste delivers an emotionally charged performance in Mike Leigh's powerful drama. She portrays a woman on the verge of mental collapse, navigating her life with a volatile mix of vulnerability and rage. Whether interacting with a furniture store clerk, her sister, or her husband and child, Jean-Baptiste commands the screen for nearly every one of the film's 97 minutes, taking the audience on a turbulent emotional ride. But that can be a lot for moviegoers to handle. Hopefully, the searing nature of the performance won't prevent voters from nominating her for best lead actress at this year's Academy Awards.
In order for that to happen, Bleecker Street, the film's distributor, will need strong word-of-mouth to keep the drama Jean-Baptiste and "Hard Truths" in the awards conversation. It shouldn't have to be this hard. Jean-Baptiste delivers her best work since Leigh's 1996 masterpiece "Secrets & Lies," which earned her a nomination for supporting actress (one that Leigh still feels she should have won).
"Hard Truths" is the antithesis of Leigh's 2008 feel-good film "Happy-Go-Lucky." It follows Pansey (Jean-Baptiste), a hypersensitive woman prone to outbursts over even the slightest provocation. She lives with her husband, Curtley (David Webber), and their adult son, Moses (Tuwaine Barrett), who have both become numb to her unpredictable, often vicious behavior. Her sister, Chantal (Michele Austin), represents the opposite - joyful and resilient, raising her two daughters with a positive outlook. She's the only person who can genuinely empathize with Pansey's pain.
Watching "Hard Truths," it's impossible not to marvel at Jean-Baptiste's brilliance. She has a remarkable ability to make audiences care for a deeply flawed character. Why isn't she at the top of casting directors' lists in Hollywood? At 57, her performance in "Hard Truths" is a tour de force. If she gets another Oscar nod, she would become only the fifth Black woman to receive multiple acting nominations, joining Whoopi Goldberg, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Angela Bassett.
Leigh, a seven-time Oscar nominee for writing and directing, remains a favorite among cinephiles and Academy voters. Yet he hasn't made a trip to the Oscar stage yet. His nominations include best director for "Secrets & Lies" (1996) and "Vera Drake" (2004), with additional original screenplay nods for "Topsy-Turvy" (1999), "Happy-Go-Lucky" (2008), and "Another Year" (2010). "Hard Truths" marks Leigh's 15th feature film, which could once again earn him recognition for his screenplay, particularly for the penetrating way it looks at grief and loss. The film's portrayal of a Black family is refreshingly organic -race is not a focal point of the narrative, but rather an inherent aspect of the characters' lives.
Bleecker Street is also expected to focus on the film's BAFTA campaign, which could be crucial given the significant overlap between BAFTA and Academy voters. The international vote has had an outsized influence in recent years with movies such as "The Father" (2020), "Anatomy of a Fall" and "The Zone of Interest" (2023). If "Hard Truths" can stay in the conversation, Leigh's direction could once again capture the attention of the Academy's Directors Branch.
Michele Austin, who played Jean-Baptiste's sister in "Secrets & Lies," assumes a sibling role again with a heartfelt and compassionate portrayal. Her lively, inventive take on Chantal is a brilliant complement to Jean-Baptiste's intense performance. While Austin may face even tougher competition in the supporting actress category, especially in the U.S., BAFTA voters could come through for her, given their previous reception to Leigh's ensembles.
Though it should be easy for the Academy to recognize the magnificence of both Jean-Baptiste and Austin in Leigh's latest work, it will still require persistent advocacy from admirers to ensure "Hard Truths" gets the attention it so richly deserves.
"Hard Truths" will be released in the U.S. by Bleecker Street on Dec. 6.