Film: Hard Truths

The story of Pansy, who lives with her husband and grown son in their immaculately clean, minimalist home. Scared of the world, and lonely while surrounded by family, Pansy attacks everyone she sees. The husband and adult son she lives with have grown weary a long time ago and sit in silence while Pansy spouts about every angry moment of her day. She hits out at check-out staff for not wearing enough make-up, at babies for having outfits with pockets and the driver waiting for her to vacate her parking space.

We contrast this with her hairdresser sister Chantelle, a jovial mother with a healthy relationship with her two grown daughters.

Nobody - including those of us watching - knows what is wrong. We just know something is and just like her close family, we don’t know what to do.

SPOLIER ALERT In the end, we were still left wondering. After we came out of the screening, two women who were just as disconcerted as I was stopped to ask for my opinion. We all understood that there wouldn't necessarily be a happy ending, but in truth, there wasn't any ending at all.

I am left with the hope that Chantelle is looking out for her sister and her daughters are looking out for their cousin. And they will come up with something to help a woman who hates all life and ‘just wants it to stop’

7/10