Arty disappointment (Pianiste, La (DVD))

Member Name: JonathanS

Product:	Pianiste, La (DVD)
Date:	07/12/01 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Huppert's performance, stylishly filmed

Disadvantages: Unconvincing story, overdone - funny rather than shocking

I'm getting increasingly sceptical of films that win prizes, especially in European film festivals, after recent disappointments such as Amores Perros and Intimacy. However, after it won three major prizes at Cannes and got good reviews, this French film (La Pianiste) by Michael Haneke seemed worth watching.

The piano teacher in question is Erika (Isabelle Huppert), a spinsterish woman who lives with her mother (Annie Girardot). She is the sort of mother that can't accept that her daughter has grown up, always wanting to know where she's been and calling to check up on her, they even still sleep in the same room. We learn that Erika is a highly respected teacher at the Vienna Music Conservatory, being not quite good enough to make a career out of performing herself. We also learn that she frequents peep shows, spies on couples at a drive in cinema, and mutilates herself, apparently for pleasure. This is evidently a very mixed up, repressed woman.

Things change when a young student, Walter Klemmer, meets her at a recital, and becomes fascinated with her. He signs up for lessons withher, despite being an engineering student, and is obviously infatuated. At first she rejects him, but as they become entangled in a relationship it becomes clear just how confused and disturbed her attitudes towards sex have become.

This is certainly a well made film. The acting is uniformly good, with Huppert impressing in what is an extremely difficult role. Much use is made of impressively long takes, which adds to the atmosphere and tension of the scenes. The soundtrack is made up entirely of classical piano music, which fits the film well. However, the story is unconvincing. It is obviously trying to make some deep points about the effects of repression on sexuality, but due to the unconvincing nature of the central relationship, where no real justification is given for the obsession of the young and handsome Walter with Erika, it doesn't rea
lly work. The film also seems to be trying too hard to shock, with the more extreme moments seeming contrived, and often resulting in nervous laughter from the audience, which is not what was intended.

So, overall, another disappointing European art house film, but with an impressive central performance and well filmed.

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