Marianne Jean-Baptiste In Hard Truths Reminds Us We’re Overlooking Older Black Women’s Mental Health

Minor spoilers ahead. Much has been said about Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s performance as Pansy Deacon in Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, and it’s easy to see why. From the opening scene, her performance carries an undeniable weight. Pansy is sharp-tongued, restless, and constantly on edge. Stuck in a tense, claustrophobic home where everyone’s walking on eggshells, she takes out her frustration on those around her, family and strangers. Her meek husband Curtley (played by David Webber), shrinks in the face of her temper while her unmotivated adult son, Moses (Tuwaine Barrett), bears the brunt of her relentless criticism. For much of Hard Truths, Pansy’s anger is impenetrable and doesn’t seem to stem from any one particular place. About two-thirds of the way into the film, her sister Chantelle (Michele Austin) asks what we’re all wondering: what are you so angry about? Why can’t you just enjoy life?

It’s only then that the film, and Pansy, begin to search for answers. In a heart-to-heart on Mother’s Day by their mum’s grave, Pansy reveals her long-held belief that their mum always favoured Chantelle, and left Pansy carrying the weight of responsibility especially after their dad left them. In the present day, she fears her whole family hates her. The sisters’ brief conversation is the most emotionally open we’ll see Pansy and yet it feels like we’re only scratching the surface. In the scenes that follow, her pained expressions, silences, and outbursts reveal that Pansy’s issues go beyond a bad temper. Whether she realises it or not, she’s grappling with depression and anxiety.

Pansy reminds me of so many Afro-Caribbean women of her generation, whose depression often manifests in ways that aren't readily recognised as sadness, meaning no one understands how they came to be this way.

Trying to make sense of Pansy’s anger is made profoundly more difficult and more heartbreaking because no one else — except us watching and her sister Chantelle — seems interested in doing the same. Even after Pansy completely breaks down, there’s little emotional response from her son and her husband, leaving us questioning whether there is any space for understanding, empathy or support. Curtley and Moses are arguably dealing with mental health struggles of their own, but it’s no wonder Pansy feels so alone and so afraid of the outside world.

In true Mike Leigh fashion, Pansy’s experiences in Hard Truths go beyond just her own struggles; they reflect the broader mental health challenges and unique socio-political issues faced by older Black women in modern-day Britain. 

After a six-year hiatus from filmmaking, Leigh returns with a lot to reflect on. The film lands at a time when Britain is still reeling from public sector cuts, COVID-19, and political upheaval. While Pansy’s story remains at the core, Hard Truths also invites us to consider how these issues have impacted our community, explored through the perspectives of other characters.

Though Hard Truths is a quieter, more sombre film with a modest budget compared to the big hitters dominating this awards season, there was still a sense that Marianne Jean-Baptiste might just sneak into the Academy Awards’ Best Actress race on the biggest night of the film awards season. After all, in 1997, Jean-Baptiste was the first Black British woman to be nominated for an Oscar for her role in Mike Leigh's drama film Secrets & Lies and it was hoped that reuniting with the director on Hard Truths would spell an Oscar win close to 30 years later.

Sadly, while Jean-Baptiste has picked up nominations at this year’s BAFTAs, the Oscars have proven to be a different ballgame. Unlike other events, the Academy Awards are voted for by peers, meaning acting performances have to resonate with fellow industry professionals and audiences. Historically, it’s been biopics and gritty performances where women overcome adversity that tend to get recognised.

But this award circuit has been different. 

Veteran actresses like Angelina Jolie, Fernanda Torres, Demi Moore, and Nicole Kidman were all in the awards conversation, celebrated for roles that explore the lives of women over 50—stories that challenge ageism and highlight sexuality, careers, and experiences long sidelined in the film industry. If there was ever a year when Marianne Jean-Baptiste had a shot, it would have been this one.

What’s disappointing about her being overlooked isn’t just the tough odds, but the fact that several male voters reportedly didn’t connect with or “like” Pansy’s character, leading them not to cast their votes. Unlikable, complex roles are often considered the meatiest roles and by extension, prime Oscar bait. But here, as with the other characters in Hard Truths, certain voters couldn’t move past Pansy’s unlikeability to recognise the humanity, nuance, and complexity beneath her suffering. 

I can’t help but feel that this echoes the experiences faced by older Black women and their mental health struggles. Society rarely takes time to consider what depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues might look like for them. And Jean-Baptiste’s exclusion from this year's Best Actress Oscars lineup reflects the expectation for Black women to be likeable, soft, and make others feel better, even in their suffering.

Filmmaker Greta Gerwig put it best when speaking about Hard Truths during a recent interview. For Gerwig, the film isn’t just a woman saying, “Watch me perform my anger” but rather, “Watch me try to breathe while this animal is crushing me.” We like to think we recognise depression in all its forms and can empathise with its many permutations but, perhaps this film’s hardest truth is that there is still much work that needs to be done to recognise mental health issues in the often overlooked.

That’s why on-screen portrayals like Pansy matter — they create space for the full complexity of women’s pain and mental health struggles in a way that’s still rare. 

Hard Truths is out in cinemas now