Hard Truths

London housewife Pansy is a very difficult person. And that is putting it mildly. She is constantly angry, everyone gets scolded, be it her husband Curtley and son Moses, or the cashier at the supermarket. The only one who somewhat gets along with her is her sister Chantelle, who is the opposite of Pansy in everything; she is kind, harmonious and respectful. Just out of kindness, she invites everyone to a celebratory dinner on Mother's Day - including Pansy. A good idea?

After his forays into historical dramas, the British director returns to the genre that has earned him so much fame: kitchen sink realism. Without judging, without easy answers and explanations, Leigh portrays a woman who is at odds not only with her surroundings, but mainly with herself. With a superb role by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, the actress who also appeared in Leigh's film hit Secrets & Lies thirty years earlier.