Harder Truths - Mike Leigh and the authenticity of the white filmmaker
Hard Truths, Mike Leigh
In a time of increased representation in film the ongoing debate still lingers over who can tell what stories and the authenticity of films about people of colour made by white people. In 2025 the most talked about film depicting a Black family in the 21st Century, debatably of the last few years, was directed by a white man. Mike Leigh presents an interesting case study when it comes to race and British Cinema as he occupies a unique position in the canon.
Secrets and Lies (1996) and Hard Truths (2025) are in conversation with each other, with Leigh reuniting with 2 of the same actors Marianne Jean Baptiste and Michele Austin, 29 years later to tell another social realist story about the lives of ‘ordinary’ British people. Secrets and Lies tackled race, class and family in a way that poked at British culture and our sensibilities. The reunion of a daughter and her mother who gave her up for adoption, working out if they can reconcile their current lives is the dramatic centre of the film. Although the fact that her daughter is, unknown to her, Black, is part of the conflict but not at the centre. Upon release there were criticisms of the way Jean-Baptiste’s character was represented and the way race was tackled. Racism in its most obvious forms was left out, instead opting for more subtle moments. However the film was critically praised and received many awards, and in one of her first film roles Marianne Jean-Baptiste received widespread acclaim for her role becoming the first Black British woman nominated for an Academy Award.
Leigh returns to the contemporary family in Hard Truths, a story about a Black family in London dealing with the pressures of simply getting through the day. Despite a heightened awareness of cultural appropriation Leigh avoided any major criticisms, with some questioning the propriety of a white director telling a Black story but nothing more than a passing question in interviews.
What sets his films apart? The cast have spoken about the collaborative way Leigh directs and shapes his film, which could be why there has been such a positive reaction. Leigh has spoken about how the story came from a desire to work with Jean-Baptiste and Austin, and the creation of their characters came from a collaborative rehearsal process. Unlike some other white directors Leigh allows space for the black cast to shape the story to their experience.
I found Hard Truths to be an incredibly sensitive and realistic portrayal of a Black family, I could see my family on the big screen in a way that I rarely get to, when the credits rolled it was almost startling to see a white man’s name. Hard Truths was very much marketed as a “Mike Leigh film” and I do not believe critics or audiences would have turned out for a film about a Black family if it was directed by a lesser known director. I genuinely think a similar film about a Black family without the Mike Leigh name, directed by a black director would have had a much harder time getting in front of audiences. I think a case could be made that white audiences and film distribution companies are able to enjoy and engage with Black stories but only do so when they are siphoned through a white lens.
Although Leigh has spoken about his trouble getting the film financed and the lack of interest from certain high profile festivals there is still name recognition that opens doors that are closed to most filmmakers, and definitely the vast vast majority of Black filmmakers. In current film development and distribution there is finally a recognition of diverse audiences and the desire for films that feature them, however the attitude of ‘one for them’ still prevails and I wonder if a Black filmmaker would have been passed over because of the release of Hard Truths. Some black creatives call on white filmmakers, who have consistently ‘used’ black stories over the years to step aside to allow black filmmakers to tell our story. Historically Black people were not the authors or directors of the art that featured us and we had to settle for the stories that white people decided were interesting enough. An example of a reclamation in recent years is The Colour Purple, a story that was represented on screen once before by a white director being explored again by a black one.
My hope is that in the next decades of British Cinema we will have more Hard Truths’, more Secrets and Lies’. I think these films are complicated and delicate portrayals that add to the cultural conversation. Unfortunately there is no Black Mike Leigh (yet), a black filmmaker who has been working as long, as consistently or as acclaimed as him. Steve McQueen might be comparable in a few years but his most recent British projects have been set in the 20th century. Hopefully in the next few years we can see a British Black director ascend to global recognition for contemporary projects. I also think there is something to be gained when directors of any race can explore stories about our modern world with the understanding of their knowledge gaps. When filmmakers have empathy and genuine interest in telling good stories without judgement the product benefits us all.
Hard Truths is available NOW on Blu-Ray and DVD