By the end of the film, you want to tell her you love her.
Misery loves company; a misanthrope, however, does not.
Both artists are dedicated to giving you a portrait of a broken person.
Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Michele Austin in ‘Hard Truths.‘Simon Mein/Thin Man Films LTD.
They also demand that you see her as aperson,and not an archetype, first and foremost.
Whats a baby got pockets for?, she rhetorically asks.
Whats it gonna keep in its pockets?
Some who wander into her crosshairs dare to answer back, which only adds fuel to the fire.
The way her loved ones silently cower before her, however, speaks volumes.
They have been beaten into submission after years of being on the receiving end.
They are the collateral damage in Pansys one-woman campaign against the world.
Pansy is introduced suddenly waking from a dead sleep, screaming out in terror.
Then she meticulously scrubs down her couch.
This is a woman who is consumed by fear.
Yet there are no easy explanations or Freudian shortcuts on display.
Theres only the aftermath resonating in the present, which is why the movie earns its title with interest.
By this point, youre able to see the damage in her so clearly, so painfully.
Its both inflicted on others and self-inflicted.
And still, you want to reach out to her.
Numerous actors could have nailed those pages and pages of rage-filled tirades.
Its such a virtuoso display of heart and spleen in equal measures.
The actor makes you forget the line between performance and observing someone.
It feels so true in the best possible ways.
