The Piano Lesson is a family affair in more than one aspect. The third of Denzel Washington’s August Wilson adaptations after Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, it is directed by his son Malcolm Washington and starring John David Washington. Meanwhile, his daughters also have roles within the production. It also follows the Charles family in a dispute over an heirloom.
It opens with a scene set on the 4th of July 1911. There is a fireworks display and the scene is illuminated with the patriotic colours of red, white and blue. During the display, three men steal a piano from a rich, white landowner, one of these men being the father of John David Washington’s Willie Boy. The film then cuts to 25 years later, as the family grapple over a decision whether or not to sell or keep the heirloom piano which has deeper ties to their family history than first realised.
Like its predecessors in this anthology trilogy is a quick-talking style and a dense text full of rich detail. However, it is also hard to get to grips with. Its dense layers make it hard to comprehend what is going on all the time and it is a film where you have to go with the flow at times to gain the most out of it. It is a challenge to understand everything that is happening all the time, and if you do this can hamper the experience due to the speed needed to process the text.
Whilst this is the most visually stylistic of the trio, I still can’t help shake that this feels like a play shot as a film, rather than a film on its own merit. It is full of long, intense dialogue scenes, acted well by a cast that also includes Samuel L Jackson and Danielle Deadwyler. However, you really feel the confines of the house, even the rooms feel like sets. The film doesn’t use the cinematic medium to its full potential, failing to adapt long scenes that work for the intensity of a play, into more metaphorical and nuanced visual images. This fill is tell not show, rather than show not tell, which really hampers the film with a two-hour runtime that feels long and arduous, especially in a home setting.
Despite this, there are some interesting themes at play. Set in post-depression America, there is a terrific tension sought from the need for economic stability. There is the age-old question of how much value family heirlooms are worth and what is more important heritage or financial worth. Indeed this is particularly important with the piano as a historical artifact of slavery. This is complemented by a film that is well-lit and quite stylistic with a great supporting performance by Danielle Deadwyler. It is a much stronger film when it is not stuck to its theatre roots.
The Piano Lesson is challenging to watch, particularly at home on Netflix. Whilst it is more stylistic than Fences or Ma Rainey, it still struggles to separate itself from its play text. However, underneath is a plethora of deep and interesting themes.
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