Nicole Holofcener has cited Mike Leigh as a major influence--but I wonder if the current runs both ways. In her film "Friends With Money," Holofcener looks closely at undiagnosed mental illness. Her star, Frances McDormand, is almost constantly bubbling with rage. She picks a fight with the waiter who does not refill the coffee quickly enough. She begins screaming at CVS when someone tries to cut in line.
Mike Leigh's new film, "Hard Truths," seems to repackage the Frances McDormand story. Leigh's central character, Pansy, is weighted with so much inner turmoil that she can't really tolerate another person's breathing. Her child leaves out a banana peel; this is objectively annoying, but for Pansy, the moment becomes cataclysmic. At Pottery Barn, Pansy sees someone with her shoes on top of the cushion on a model couch. Pansy takes this as a provocation; a fight begins. What makes Pansy amazing is that she doesn't even need an irritant to become irritated. In one dazzling speech, she becomes furious that her neighbor has purchased baby clothing with ornamental pockets. "What is that baby going to store in her pocket? A knife?"
A plot needs a journey. "Hard Truths" is centered on Mother's Day. Pansy goes to see the grave of her own mother, then sits with her family at a sibling's house. Pansy's withdrawn son presents her with a bouquet of flowers; the moment is enough to unnerve Pansy. She can't make sense of the kindness. Her sense of dysregulation is such that--later--she evicts her own husband because of a minor grievance. In the final minutes, she is wordless, paralyzed; it would almost be a relief to hear her ranting about inappropriate "clubbing" outfits, because the alternative is just silence.
It's difficult for a beleaguered female character to generate awards buzz. Tonya Pinkins did not win a Tony for "Caroline, or Change."
Still, the omission of "Hard Truths" from this year's Oscar race seems problematic. Hats off to Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
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