Mike Leigh Reunites with Marianne Jean-Baptiste in First Look at Director’s New Film ‘Hard Truths’

Brian Welk
·2 min read

Mike Leigh has unveiled the first look at what will be the “Another Year” and “Secrets & Lies” director’s 23rd feature film, a new project called “Hard Truths.”

“Hard Truths” reunites Leigh with actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who starred in 1996’s “Secrets & Lies” and was Oscar-nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in the film. You can see her looking concerned and harried while talking on the phone in the first look photo of the film above.

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After last directing “Mr. Turner” and “Peterloo,” both of which were historical dramas, Leigh is back in a contemporary setting for “Hard Truths.” Specific plot details are still being kept under wraps, but the film is described as a “tough but compassionate and intimate study of family life.” Michele Austin, another of Leigh’s frequent collaborators, also stars.

Any details about “Hard Truths” were largely secret (it’s not uncommon for Leigh to keep things close to the vest), with the exception that it filmed last year in London, but we now know that Bleecker Street has the rights to release the film theatrically in the U.S. later this year. Studiocanal will be releasing it in the UK, and Cornerstone Films is handling international sales.

Joining Leigh on the film are some of his longtime crew members, including producer Georgina Lowe, cinematographer Dick Pope, costume designer Jacqueline Durran, production designer Suzie Davis, composer Gary Yershon, and casting director Nina Gold. New to the Mike Leigh team are editor Tania Reddin and make-up and hair designer Nora Robertson.

“Hard Truths” is a Thin Man Films and The Mediapro Studio co-production, co-financed by Film4 in association with Creativity Media.

Leigh’s last film was 2018’s “Peterloo,” a historical drama set in 1819 about a massacre in which British forces attacked a peaceful, pro-democracy rally in Manchester. Amazon Studios released the film, and Leigh said Amazon gave him free reign to do what he wanted on the costly, $18 million historical drama, but the film earned Leigh some of the most mixed reviews of his career, it got rejected at Cannes, and failed to make much of an impact for Amazon.

Jean-Baptiste has been well known for her work on the series “Without a Trace,” and she was most recently seen in “The Book of Clarence.”

Bleecker Street on Tuesday released the first trailer for its upcoming film “Sasquatch Sunset” from the Zellner Brothers, which stars Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg as Bigfoot creatures. The film premiered at Sundance and opens in theaters this April.

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