Review of The Piano Teacher (2001) by Anonymous User — 19 Oct 2009

Fantastic and unsettling, done so in a way that doesn't bludgeon the viewer into an orgy of disturbing imagery. Another winner from Haneke, but this to me this is all about Isabelle Huppert's towering performance.

Huppert plays a brilliant, renowned middle-aged piano teacher. She's highly abusive and authoritarian to her students, placing unrealistic expectations and being constantly disappointed at their lack of skill and dedication. She lives with her abusive mother, and they still sleep in the same bed. Sexually repressed, she satisfies her carnal urges in ways that are unorthodox to say the least.

Huppert's performance is amazing in not only balancing the stern intelligence and the insecure deviant of her character, but also the way she gradually unravels like a ball of yarn for two hours (credit also goes to the excellent pacing). It keeps pulling ever so often, until finally all of her vulnerabilities are tragically exposed. The sex scenes (between her and the great Benoit Magimel) aren't erotic as much as they capture Huppert's internal battling between her true feelings versus her sick fantasies. By the end of the movie, you will come to know this woman inside and out. A wonder to watch. Bring the kids.