Hard Truths

Trailer, Teaser & Videos

Movie Details

Cast & Characters

• Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Pansy
• Ruby Bentall as Doctor
• Samantha Spiro as Nicole
• Jo Martin as Nurse Salon Client
• Gary Beadle as Irate Motorist
• Bryony Miller as Anna
• Sophia Brown as Aleisha
• Ashna Rabheru as Jasmine
• Chinenye Ezeudu as Salon Client
• Michele Austin
• Diveen Henry as Supermarket Customer
• Llewella Gideon as Salon Customer
• Tuwaine Barrett as Moses
• Donna Banya as Moses’ New Friend
• Jonathan Livingstone as Virgil
• David Webber as Curtley
• Naana Agyei Ampadu as Aleisha’s Supervisor
• Jyuddah Jaymes as Street Boy
• Elliot Edusah as Daniel
• Syrus Lowe as Kayla’s Colleague
• Diana Yekinni as Hairdresser
• Alice Bailey Johnson as Furniture Assistant
• Tiwa Lade as Savannah

Storyline

The film follows Pansy, a woman wracked by fear, tormented by afflictions, and prone to raging tirades against her husband, son, and anyone who looks her way. Meanwhile, her easygoing younger sister, played by Michele Austin (Another Year), is a single mother with a life as different from Pansy’s as their clashing temperaments – brimming with communal warmth from her salon clients and daughters alike. This expansive film from a master dramatist takes us into the intensities of kinship, duty, and the most enduring of human mysteries: that even through lifetimes of hurt and hardship, we still find ways to love those we call family.

About Hard Truths Movie

Hard Truths is a comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, featuring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, and David Webber in key roles.

The film was initially slated for production in the summer of 2020, but due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it wasn’t until February 2023 that it was officially confirmed to go into production later that year. In February 2024, it was revealed that Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Michele Austin would star in the film. Both actresses had previously worked with Leigh on his acclaimed film Secrets & Lies.

Hard Truths Release Date

Hard Truths premiered in the Special Presentations section of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024. The film was also screened at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival and the 2024 New York Film Festival. It had its United Kingdom premiere at the London Film Festival on October 14, 2024.

In the United Kingdom, StudioCanal released the film on January 31, 2025, while in Spain, BTeam Pictures released it on February 28, 2025. In the United States, Bleecker Street gave the film a limited theatrical release in New York on December 6, 2024, followed by a nationwide release on January 10, 2025.

The film was notably rejected by the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals, where director Leigh had previously claimed the top prizes—the Palme d’Or and the Golden Lion, respectively—as well as the Telluride Film Festival.

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