“Hard Truths” is a title that works for this movie. Others could have been “Mean Truths,” “Pessimistic Truths” or “Negative Truths.”
That’s because the main character in this film, Pansy Deacon (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), is dealing with depression, resentment and grief, which has manifested in aggression. Pansy is often in a state of frustration or anger, and it results in outbursts toward both family and strangers alike.
Much of this stems from conflicted feelings toward her late mother. This has caused a strain in her marriage to her husband Curtley (David Webber) and relationship with her son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett). The one person she still manages to confide in usually is her sister, Chantelle (Michele Austin).
A character study, “Hard Truth” is very much a film painting a full portrait of Pansy at what is clearly a low point for her. The troubling feelings she has are glaringly expressed in fits of anger, literally and figuratively. Throughout the film, the audience is given a view of a person who has clearly been scarred.
For an audience, it creates a compelling hook. While Pansy’s presence is often unpleasant, a viewer can’t help but be engaged with what’s driving her personality. Pain is unfortunately part of the human experience, and one can relate to it coming out with rage sometimes.
While Pansy’s initial journey through the first half offers some entertainment and intrigue, though, her journey eventually leads to a pair of issues. The first is what happens in her own lived experience and the second is how the rest of her family lives.
Regarding the second matter to begin, we get to witness a bit of the personal lives of Pansy’s family members. We see some of her husband at work, her son’s casual walks, her sister’s job at a salon and her nieces’ professional career troubles. However, all of these aspects seem underdeveloped.
All of these characters seem to have some interesting stories of their own, and it garners interest. Yet the audience doesn’t really get a chance to know more. This is especially true with Pansy’s son Moses, who we as an audience should spend more narrative time with, but never really have the chance.
It’s somewhat, but not entirely, connected to the other matter. Pansy’s character arc doesn’t really go much of anywhere over the course of the picture. Now, that’s not to say a viewer deserves to see things wrapped up in a perfect bow with her story.
However, there’s a definite feeling the film could have expanded on how Pansy’s anger has affected her inside, and have her reflect on what it means to those around her. It’s a shame, too, considering that Jean-Baptiste really commits a lot to the role and gives a commendable performance.
“Hard Truths” shows promise in its cast and offers an interesting window into what grief can do to a person. Yet when all is said and done, the overall experience feels incomplete. The movie also doesn’t’ have much of a flair technically. As a result, it’s ultimately a fairly middling movie, though it does contain some good performances. 3.15 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
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