Review of The Piano Teacher (2001) by Daniel T — 02 Mar 2008
Michael Haneke is not a director who's modest about generating jolting shocks, sexual perversity or explicit violence in films. But, like in Cache, none of it feels like a gimmick. These scenes make perfect sense in the context of the story he is telling, and, ironically, make his characters more complex and human.
Whether you see this as a formal thesis on sexual-gender dynamics, or the story of a woman vacillating between power & submission, life & art, control & madness, feminism & misogyny, this is not a film you will shake off easily.
Each scene is a launch pad for many threads of subtextual discussions. If for nothing else, it's simply amazing to watch Isabelle Huppert express multiple facets of emotions by seemingly not moving her facial muscles at all.
It is a subtle, provocative and controlled performance, one of the best I've seen by an actor, ever.
This review of The Piano Teacher (2001) was written by Daniel T on 02 Mar 2008.
The Piano Teacher has generally received very positive reviews.
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