The Piano Lesson, directed by Malcolm Washington (Denzel’s son, making his feature directorial debut), adapts August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play with a star-studded cast, including Danielle Deadwyler, John David Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, many of whom are reprising their roles from the 2022 Broadway revival. Set in 1936, it follows a family in conflict over a deeply symbolic heirloom, a piano engraved with their ancestors’ faces from the time of slavery. Boy Willie (John David Washington) wants to sell the piano to buy the land their ancestors were enslaved on, while his sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) fiercely protects it. Tensions rise as a ghostly presence haunts their home, intensifying their personal and generational struggles.
Unfortunately, even more than the previous Wilson adaptations Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson feels trapped in its theatrical roots, barely stepping out of its stage-bound limitations. The majority of the film takes place in a single space, and despite the best efforts of its cast, it never feels like it fully utilizes the cinematic medium. Instead, it’s a series of overwrought, “Oscar clip” moments, where one character yells while the others watch, taking turns in a cycle of emotionally exhausting confrontations that offer little nuance or depth.
Attempts to break free from the confines of the stage, such as flashbacks or scenes outside the main house, fall completely flat. A flashback sequence narrated by Samuel L. Jackson could have been far more impactful if left to the imagination, rather than depicted in a heavy-handed and literal manner. The film’s themes of legacy and trauma are hammered into the audience repeatedly, stripping the story of any subtlety or emotional build-up, making it feel like a lecture rather than a story we’re invited to experience.
This kind of movie always try hard to be actors showcase, but in here, they fail to make much of an impression. John David Washington once again delivers a performance devoid of charisma, making it hard to invest in Boy Willie’s journey or care about his motivations. Danielle Deadwyler, though undoubtedly talented, comes off as too calculated, never fully immersing herself in her character’s emotional turmoil (something that I also though when watching Till 2 years ago). Samuel L. Jackson has little to do. All actors are performing for a distant audience rather than the intimate lens of the camera.
The film’s few attempts at suspense or horror are painfully awkward, especially the scenes involving the family’s ghostly visitor. These moments are theatrical in all the wrong ways, failing to build tension and instead feeling like poorly executed distractions. The lackluster production design, distracting score, and basic cinematography only exacerbate the film’s shortcomings.
Ultimately, The Piano Lesson offers little justification for its existence as a film. Rather than elevating Wilson’s text, it feels like a diminished version of what could be more impactful on stage. The script has some redeeming moments, such as a humorous scene involving a character being tricked into buying cloth and a genuinely touching moment with perfume (the only scene where Deadwyler shows any real subtlety), as well as a few memorable lines. But these were already present in the Broadway revival, leaving you to wonder if a simple pro-shot of the play would have been a more effective way to bring this story to life, or if any director will ever approach this kind of material with the kind of cinematic ingenuity that Ingrid Bergman brought to The Magic Flute.
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- Where to watch
Netflix- Where to watch
- Netflix
Play trailer
- Original title
- The Piano Lesson
- Director
- Malcolm Washington
- Genre
- Drama
- Cast
- John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Corey Hawkins, Gail Bean, Jerrika Hinton
- Rated
- PG-13
- Screenwriter
- Malcolm Washington, Virgil Williams, Jasmine Alexia Jackson
- Composer
- Alexandre Desplat
- Cinematography
- Mike Gioulakis
- Editor
- Leslie Jones
- Country
- Language
- English
- Distributor (CA)
- Netflix