The Piano Teacher
Directed by:
Michael HanekeScreenplay:
Michael HanekeCinematography:
Christian BergerCast:
Isabelle Huppert, Annie Girardot, Benoît Magimel, Susanne Lothar, Udo Samel, Anna Sigalevitch, Georg Friedrich, Gerti Drassl, Viviane Bartsch (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Erika (Isabelle Huppert) teaches classical piano in a cold and often abrasive style. Approaching middle age, she lives with her doting mother (Annie Girardot) and still sleeps in the same bed with her. Erika's social life consists of occasionally sneaking away to a peep show where she secretly comes into contact with perverse passion, often using the discarded trash of previous customers. Her beautiful piano playing seduces youthful Walter (Benoit Magimel), who then takes the instructor's advanced class. Walter reveals his desire during a class session. Erika reacts curiously, presenting a long list of cruel, humiliating sexual acts she would like him to perform on her. Meanwhile, the teacher also torments a talented student (Anna Sigalevitch) who is already plagued by her own fears. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (4)
A heavy psychological film about sexual obsessions that won’t give you a clear, satisfying answer to anything, but you definitely won’t forget it.
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Michael Haneke does not make pleasant and beautiful films, but rather unsettling dramas that injure and leave behind a strange aftertaste. However, or perhaps precisely because of this, it is not a bad film. It portrays a possibly not widely spread, yet realistically existing world of sexual deviances of people distorted by constant pretending, secrecy, and unfulfilled desires. It is definitely a more realistic view of a certain aspect of eroticism and interpersonal relationships than Shortbus, which I recently watched. Moreover, the film has excellent performances, led by Isabelle Huppert. She excels in her role as a psychopathic teacher. If something bothers me about the film, it is the excessively long duration. Some scenes are unnecessary and others are drawn out. Overall impression: 80%.
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Elfriede Jelinek's work is better known outside the wave of interest generated by the Nobel Prize. Enough time has gone by at this point. But it's hard to imagine the buzz generated around this art film without a connection to the buzz around the Nobel Prize. It's cyclical, which is actually a shame. The Piano Teacher deals with topics that should be discussed but are not. It is fascinating that something as simple as a mother-daughter relationship can turn into something so complicated and devastating.
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I definitely do not consider myself - nor can I consider myself - an expert on Michael Haneke, but I think I can confidently say that he is one of my favorite directors. And that's after only seeing three of his films. The first one was "Funny Games," which I must admit left me quite disappointed. What he dared to do at the end was something extra that simply didn't belong there. Why? Similar script interventions are usually detrimental, unless you're Charlie Kaufman. The second film, on the other hand, truly impressed me. It was, of course, the Oscar-winning "Amour." A film that leaves you with incredibly deep emotions. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/02/pianistka-2001-85.html
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