It’s hard to get a word in edgewise versus the toxic female powderkeg at the center of this family drama: and by bringing to life one of his film catalogue’s most indelible personalities, director Mike Leigh and muse Marianne Jean-Baptiste create a character for the ages and an instantly relatable series of events. Hard Truths (B+) centers on middle-aged British mum Pansy played by Jean-Baptiste and how, stricken by grief, she verbally abuses everyone within shouting range. At first the effect is jarring then a little funny and mostly sad or appalling, depending on the set of characters around her. She’s winning the battle of words, no matter the situation. The actress is incredible in absolutely embodying this woman and still providing shades of gray to make her a character and not a caricature. Kudos to the full ensemble, especially David Webber and Tuwaine Barrett as her long-suffering husband and son and Michele Austin as her sister and cheery polar opposite. These characters are often simply left to wear devastated reactions on their faces and do so with expressive aplomb. Leigh has something to quietly say here though about the simple ways people can treat each other to diffuse or elevate situations and to turn down the temperature when interactions get heated. Because so many of the sequences in the film are dialed up to a delirious decibel, the scenes of quiet and generosity are fittingly touching and sometimes heartbreaking. The movie is as delicate as the flower Pansy is not and quietly observational in its brisk running time about how depression can overwhelm and constrict. While lovely, Gary Yershon’s melancholic music felt a little on the nose for generating the film’s off-kilter mood, but overall this was an effective and absorbing character study with something to say to anyone in the world with that emotional glass half empty or full.