Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
Vintage Mike Leigh-with astaggering starturn
The London Standard
|January 30, 2025
In the middle of another miserable London winter we could all do with a bit of a cheering up. What we all need is a good bit of Mike Leigh, right? Wrong?
Well, right actually. The king of English naturalism - and in our country that means miserabilism-the director behind Naked and Secrets & Lies and Meantime, and other ventures into the grim minutiae of failure and disappointments, this man is also, lest we forget, a fine comic director.
And after the historical sojourns of his last two films - Peterloo and Mr Turner he has now returned to core territory of portraying "ordinary" lives in the manner of his very best work: hilarious, even as it scars you for life.
Hard Truths is a visceral drama centred around a staggering lead performance by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, whose Pansy is up there with the very best curmudgeons on screen.
Pansy is a woman with problems. She spends most of her time cleaning and cooking for her plumber husband Curtley (David Webber) and her jobless son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett). But she is no meek housewife. She is a dominating presence with a ferocious wit who scares the men around her into silence.
Terrified, too, are the people she encounters when she leaves the house.
This story is from the January 30, 2025 edition of The London Standard.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The London Standard
The London Standard
Excuses have run out for Arsenal ahead of red-hot title showdown
His side look spent, but Arteta must find a way to get a statement result in battle with City.
2 mins
April 16, 2026
The London Standard
The jaw-dropping therapy that made LeAnn Rimes cry...
It was a striking moment that unsurprisingly went viral: the singer LeAnn Rimes receiving “jaw release therapy” and then being overcome with emotion.
2 mins
April 16, 2026
The London Standard
First Night Garai is a dazzle of nerves as Ibsen's house is rebuiltin modern London
Romola Garai is a fine, fragile Nora in a contemporary London reboot of Ibsen’s drama that reminds me of the BBC's compelling shares 'n’ shagging series Industry.
2 mins
April 16, 2026
The London Standard
A day in the life Elcella founder Dr Madusha Peiris
The gut scientist keeps things simple and sensible, with early starts, whole foods, mindful movement and plenty of sleep
2 mins
April 16, 2026
The London Standard
'THE THOUGHT OF WRITING MUSIC MADE ME WANT TO THROW UP'
Bass king and musician's musician Thundercat talks to Craig McLean about the devastating loss of Mac Miller, A$AP Rocky being the male Yoko Ono and Kanye discovering 'accountability is a motherf***er'
5 mins
April 16, 2026
The London Standard
Singer Rufus Wainwright gets his bling in Cecil Court and has a grand old time at the Delaunay
If I were Mayor, I'd throw a bash in the cast rooms at the V&A and everybody would have to do acid-except if you're under six
3 mins
April 16, 2026
The London Standard
Chelsea's recruitment strategy under the microscope
With poor results on the pitch and senior players hinting at unhappiness, there are big questions to be answered.
6 mins
April 16, 2026
The London Standard
HOW TO LONDONMAXX ANIGHT ON THE TILES
There was a notorious Soho pub crawl prevalent in the old days.
3 mins
April 16, 2026
The London Standard
What it's like for renters at the sharp end of London's housing crisis
Uncertainty, despair, ever-rising rents: now tenants are taking to the streets.
6 mins
April 16, 2026
The London Standard
One big step... for future missions: what did we learn from Artemis II?
THE MOON MISSION DIDN'T BREAK SCIENTIFIC GROUND - BUT THAT WASN'T THE POINT
4 mins
April 16, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size