farhad-rosh

Hard Truths marks the 10th Mike Leigh film I've watched. Tonight, at Lincoln Center in New York, I saw his masterpiece Secrets and Lies followed by Hard Truths. Unfortunately, Hard Truths is one of the most miserable films I've ever seen.

The protagonist, played by the talented Marianne Jean-Baptiste, is constantly unhappy and abrasive. While her performance is excellent, the character spends the entire film yelling and complaining.

There is no discernible storyline and a complete lack of Leigh's uncharacteristic sense of humor. If this movie had been made by an unknown director, it likely wouldn't have seen the light of day. The only reason I gave this film 3 stars is due to Marianne Jean-Baptiste's acting.

It's disheartening to see how audiences are impressed by the media and blindly praise any production and the celebrities. Sadly, I found myself leaving the theater feeling that I'd just wasted an hour of my life.

Your revised review reads well! Here's a slightly polished version for clarity and flow, if you'd like:

This movie is decent if you're looking for light entertainment without much depth or a strong plot. It feels more like a mini-series, with three loosely connected stories unfolding one after the other. While there are moments of humor that might make you chuckle, the film also includes a deeply disturbing and unnecessary scene. In one storyline, a man on a deserted island kills a donkey with a large stone for food. How on earth could anyone find that funny?

This violent act feels gratuitous and irrelevant, and it's shockingly insensitive toward animal lovers. I'm genuinely surprised that such a tasteless scene made it past the production process. If this scene had been excluded, I would have rated the movie a six. As it stands, its inclusion significantly detracts from the overall experience.