Release Date – 8th November 2024, Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 7 minutes, Director – Malcolm Washington
Pittsburgh 1936, brother and sister Boy Willie (John David Washington) and Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) argue about what to do with the family piano, featuring etchings of their ancestral roots and story, sell it or keep it.
Despite initial directorial flourishes, The Piano Lesson quickly settles in to feeling very stage-like. Based on August Wilson’s play of the same name much of the action is confined to the living room of Doaker Charles (Samuel L Jackson), where sits the family piano – decades-old images carved into it telling the story of the family’s legacy after slavery. Living with Doaker, niece Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) has a strong connection with the piano and what it represents, despite not having played it in years her daughter (Skylar Aleece Smith) occasionally has a brief session on the instrument. In the corner of the room it sits holding the ghosts, both literal and metaphorical, of the past.
These ghosts arrive alongside the appearance of Berniece’s brother, Boy Willie (John David Washington). Arriving with news of the death of Sutter, a member of the family who had enslaved the Charles’, and intentions to sell the family piano to buy the now unowned land. The siblings fiercely disagree as to what to do with the piano, Boy Willie casually tries to work out how to move the instrument, with his friend Lymon (Ray Fisher) – who does his best with a character who largely feels like he’s given somewhat stagnant and second-thought scenes and interactions – in front of the rest of the family, while Berniece fiercely protests. With each monologue and close-up that she gets Deadwyler gives the standout performance of the film. After giving the best performance of 2023 in Till, she excels once again with a turn that builds up the pain and emotion in her character with pitch perfect releases.
Deadwyler’s turn helps to sell the more sudden supernatural elements introduced part way through. These stand out from the rest of the film and never quite feel fully settled in. They’re in part what cause the film to take a while to fully bring all of its elements together – in addition to having to pass the, again stage-like, opening scenes which take their time to build-up and introduce us to the ensemble of characters.
John David Washington’s Boy Willie is very much the central focus with his louder, more brash character. His performance stands out not quite because of its loudness but the fact that you can see the performance and tell that Washington is acting – perhaps still playing a bit for the stage where he and other members of the cast (excluding Deadwyler) performed this play in a Broadway production just a year or two ago. Jackson, however, doesn’t have the same feeling to his turn and if anything gives one of the best performances of his career, one which if given the right push could lead him to an Oscar. It’s noticeable part way through when his character seems to suddenly disappear.
Yet, amongst the adapted-from-a-play nature of back-and-forth scenes, particularly in the early stages, there is something interesting built up throughout The Piano Lesson. The idea of the family legacy and history is gradually given more detail, particularly through the performances, and while the idea of ghosts of the past might seem a bit on the nose at times it also manages to hold engaging details the more prominent it becomes. Not everything holds up, and the film in general seems like a mixed bag, but the more it goes on and comes together the more there is to like and engage with, especially thanks to the likes of Jackson and Deadwyler who truly nail the dramatic heart of the film and themes at play.
It takes some time for the themes to come together, especially amongst the heavily stage-like nature, but the performances, especially standouts from Deadwyler and Jackson, help to grow a swelling drama with enough interest in the echoes of the central family history to keep things moving, even as they occasionally divert.
Just A Little Bit Random 