Marianne Jean-Baptiste tests our limits of empathy in ‘Hard Truths’

AP Film Writer

Of all the movie protagonists you might have seen this year, none is quite like Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s Pansy in Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths.” Pansy, a middle-aged woman in contemporary London, is foul-tempered from beginning to end in Leigh’s film. For everyone, Pansy is a test. She tests the patience and empathy of her family, just as she does the viewer. The performance has earned Jean-Baptiste her best reviews since her last film with Leigh: “Secrets & Lies,” nearly 30 years ago. For that film, Jean-Baptiste became the first Black British actress nominated for an Academy Award. Her performance in “Hard Truths” has been just as celebrated, and might return her to the Oscars.