Having been a fan of Mike Leigh for a long time, I was excited to see his next film. Leigh has always been a master of mixing comedy with hardship - a template that is well known. Shakespeare often used the two-sided coin of comedy and tragedy, and, if done well, this can turn a story into a wonder. The technique of this is (I am guessing) extremely hard, but this mix of comedy and hardship is something Leigh never fails to do and this is why his films remain so fascinating. 

The film depicts a warmth in its characters almost immediately. Hardworking people have day to day conversations filled with laughter, heartbreak and despair - everything we experience ourselves and probably have discussions with our hairdressers about, and, if you are like me, at the gym too.

I am drawn to how Leigh can make a film that is full of normal everyday tasks and it still be an intriguing film. I can follow the characters on screen and want to know what happens next. It is an incredible gift to make a film that places us in our lives, detailing our own normality, pain and comfort because we don’t identify with anything else. You can find escapism in many films, and, for a few moments it feels good, but I never feel more myself unless I am watching ‘myself’ in a film.

The detail in the complexity of how people relate to each other, especially when it comes to family members, is fascinating; especially with how the characters deal with Hard Truths’ main protagonist, Pansy Deacon, played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Her family stay largely silent or ignore her apparent trauma altogether, but I think Leigh demonstrates how difficult it is to communicate with a traumatised person - what do you say? And how should it be said? Trauma often comes with stored memories, and so saying the wrong thing at the wrong time can ignite uncomfortable feelings. It takes a strong, committed person to say, “Look - what’s wrong? Tell me now. I won’t go until you do!” Her sister, played by Michele Austin, does just this. 

I also love the simplicity of the film, forcing its viewer to take note of what is being said, thereby encouraging us to form an emotional connection with the characters. There are no other distractions and nowhere to run - we are required to listen. It is this simplicity that gives the film the charm, the love, the laughter - the small things that get overlooked and undervalued.  Perhaps Leigh is directing us to look towards these things - to value them and to take joy in them. So while the film deals with topics of unresolved trauma and anger, it also displays scenes of utter joy. The laughter between hairdresser and client, sister and sister, and mother and daughter are all heart-warming and funny. Such joy can be found in relationships with other people if we could just get past our own sadness to enjoy it, if only for a moment. 

It’s interesting to know that our childhood plays such an important role in our traumas, and Leigh touches on this and how this manifests in adulthood. One sister takes the weight of family life, while the other sister does not, and seems to be infinitely happier as a result.  The difference between the sisters echoes the different times of their upbringing, and it is these two that must come together to resolve the trauma. One sister is the person that knows the other so well and can provide some of the answers to some of Jean-Baptist's characters' behaviour. 

The film comes together when the sisters visit their mothers grave, and here we begin to understand the mother's relationship with each sister, her being at the centre of the film. One sister must come to terms that her treatment was different to her sister’s, and with that comes the hurt. The truth of the situation is there, but coming to terms with it is not so easy.

Is the film a message to love all your children unconditionally? I’m not sure, but what Leigh depicts is that holding on to how you’ve been hurt can be a very lonely and isolating place. Once you have built those walls, how do you break them down? How do you become a different person when that has been your go-to for so long? I think this is something the main character struggles with, although the weight of one sister’s sadness seems to lift when she and her sister discuss their childhood. Perhaps talking about it and someone listening and offering understanding is the key, or is at least a start, in overcoming what has happened. Leigh does not skip this complexity in his film. 

There isn’t any easy fix to trauma, as the film’s end demonstrates, but we still need to try - after all it is our lives and our relationships that are at stake.