Family heirlooms give way to dark secrets in Netflix’s new release, “The Piano Lesson.”
The film was originally released during the 51st Telluride Film Festival on August 31 before coming to select theaters on Nov. 8, finally making its way to Netflix on Nov. 22.
It was originally a play by late screenwriter August Wilson and had previously won a Pulitzer Prize for the authentic depiction of the African American experience. Malcolm Washington, son of well-known actor Denzel Washington, makes his directorial debut alongside Virgil Williams, who has previously written for shows like “24” and “ER.”
I was surprised to see yet another Washington family member was in the cast, alongside many famous faces like Samuel L. Jackson and Corey Hawkins. Even musical artist Erykah Badu made a surprising appearance.
The movie is centered around the Charles family and the dilemma around the future of their heirloom piano, which I thought was a fairly solid plot.
However, I also thought it would be boring. This film is listed as a horror movie on Netflix, but I did not think that part of the story would have that big of an effect since everyone was just fighting over an instrument. If you ask me, the true horror is in the paralyzing grasp of indecision.
I found myself spooked by some of the scenes as the run time went on, though. The director has gone with the classic “There’s someone behind you” approach, and the lack of knowing if I saw something on the screen made me feel on edge.
With those emotions stirring, the filmmakers immediately revealed the full, scary figure of the antagonist without giving me time to process the bite of uncertainty, which left me stunned from the jump-scare. Honestly, kudos.
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The attachment between the spirit and the physical world felt thematically relevant. Yes, the past is scary, but sometimes, to fight off the demons of the present, it has to be revisited.
I also noticed that the movie drew from a lot of the original play script. At first, I didn’t understand what was going on, as most of the language was very repetitive, dragging from scene to scene. My initial questions were about why the filmmakers didn’t include more variety in some of the actors’ lines. Sometimes, I just wanted to fast-forward some of the clips because they were going at a snail’s pace.
After further research, I realized that the directors wanted to accomplish one thing. They wanted to keep the overall essence of the story and bring it to life as much as possible to preserve its Pulitzer-winning magic.
I was not used to it because I am generally drawn to films that have more show and less tell. This play was made quite a while ago. If this was what made history back then, I just needed to open up my mind a little more.
Besides the script, I thought the acting was done very well. The clash between Boy Willie, played by John David Washington, and Berniece, Danielle Deadwyler, was as insufferable as the usual fights between siblings go. He wants to take the family heirloom piano away, and she doesn’t. They make that point clear about every five to ten minutes.
Some aspects of plays only work on the stage and feel less impactful when translating them to the screen. The slow script doesn’t feel the most well-suited to a film adaptation. When I look at the entirety of the film, though, it’s clear Malcolm Washington did a good job attempting to stay true to its roots.