Though its Originals release slate is pretty bare through the first week of September, Netflix is offering a lauded drama to UK subscribers. You can now watch Hard Truths using the streaming service, after it was added on Friday, September 5.
Not in the UK? Hard Truths is streaming on Paramount Plus in the US but isn't available on any streaming service in Australia.
Hard Truths is the latest movie from accomplished British director Mike Leigh, and after premiering at Toronto International Film Festival it was released in December 2024 in the US and January 2025 in Europe (including the UK).
In the movie Marianne Jean-Baptiste stars as London mother Pansy, who's depressed and anxious and lashes out at everyone around her. We follow her in the build-up to Mother's Day as she clashes with her sister over their mother's legacy, and butts heads with her seemingly good-for-nothing son.
Upon its release, Hard Truths instantly became a critical hit, and it hit 95% on Rotten Tomatoes (a score it currently sits at still). It also won plenty of awards from the National Society of FIlm Critics, National Board of Review and various film festivals, and was nominated for plenty more from bodies like the British Independent Film Awards and British Academy of Film and Television Awards. Particular praise went to Jean-Baptiste for her performance as the vicious Pansy.
Despite being critically-acclaimed, Hard Truths wasn't widely seen in the UK, making an estimated $800,000 according to box office information. In part this could be due to it being quite a hard-hitting drama, but the January release date certainly couldn't have helped; that's when movie studios dump terrible horrors while riding the coat-tails of winter blockbusters and the release of awards-bait films. A release more in line with the US would have helped people see this film.
If Hard Truths doesn't sound up your street, it's not the only non-Netflix release on the same day, with The Royal Hotel from 2023 also being added. This Aussie psychological thriller, about two friends backpacking who get into trouble, sits at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes.
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