The Piano Lesson: LFF Film Review
Following Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, the latest movie adaptation of an August Wilson play has arrived – The Piano Lesson – and it’s a Washington family affair.
The drama, directed by Malcolm Washington and produced by his father Denzel Washington, is set at a home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1936. Boy Willie (John David Washington) goes to visit his sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) and their uncle Doaker (Samuel L. Jackson) with his friend Lymon (Ray Fisher). Willie needs to make money to buy some land and he wants to sell the family heirloom piano – and Berniece refuses to let it go.
Even if you didn’t know this was originally a play, you could hazard a guess because it is so dialogue-heavy and set in pretty much one location. Film adaptations of plays should be more cinematic and the dialogue should be streamlined because this is so dense. There are some cinematic flourishes here and there and a few scenes outside of the house but it is still primarily people talking in a room and you really have to concentrate.
I use the word talking but there is actually a lot of shouting about this damn piano. It’s essentially a domestic drama about two siblings yelling over what to do with the sentimental instrument and the conversation goes round and round in circles. It’s much more interesting when other subjects are being discussed such as Berniece’s courtship with the priest Avery (Corey Hawkins) or Lymon trying to woo her.
Essentially, I liked the film better when Boy Willie wasn’t there. Washington spoke loudly (when he wasn’t shouting) like he was projecting to the back of a theatre and he was obviously acting – he needed to dial down his performance. His character was also like a dog with a bone and very annoying and I often found myself wishing he would shut up. Conversely, Deadwyler is natural and brings light and shade in her performances, capably switching between yelling at the top of her voice to quiet interiority.
The piano is supposedly haunted by a ghost and I enjoyed the supernatural horror elements the most. I would have liked more and I wish they’d leaned into that and gone full-on horror. I became more interested in the film as the spooky goings-on progressed.
The Piano Lesson is a dense, talk-heavy film that feels very much like a play. Deadwyler and the supernatural elements are the main reasons to check this out.
Seen at the London Film Festival. In select cinemas from 8th November and on Netflix from 22nd November