The Piano Lesson is the third film adaptation of the work of playwright August Wilson, whose bibliography and legacy have been championed by Denzel Washington. It serves as the feature directorial debut of Washington’s son, Malcolm Washington, and is not only an excellent adaptation of its source material but also one of the most auspicious first features in recent memory.
The Piano Lesson Review
The Piano Lesson follows a family who get into conflict over the future of a valuable family heirloom — a piano dating back to their freed slave ancestors, which they come to believe might be haunted. Wilson has a very dense, complex style that previous cinematic adaptions have struggled to navigate, but The Piano Lesson stands up to the challenge.
Unlike many playwrights, Wilson was known for his more naturalistic approach to dialogue, with heavy use of vernacular and other devices to allow him to tell the story of the common man. This approach is particularly fascinating in The Piano Lesson, as it serves as a fascinating juxtaposition against the more surreal, supernatural elements of the story. The result is a compellingly immersive work, adapted to the screen wonderfully by Malcolm Washington and Virgil Williams (Mudbound).
Washington and Williams have also made the adaptation of Wilson’s work that seems most eager to engage with the layers of the playwright’s themes beyond the literal. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom almost got there, while Fences was disappointingly surface-level. The Piano Lesson takes what initially seems to be a story of superstition in marginalized communities and allows it to evolve into a profound meditation on generational trauma. The immense respect and understanding the filmmakers have for Wilson’s work is beautifully evident on the screen.
The Piano Lesson also stands out as the most cinematic of the Wilson adaptations we have seen for the screen thus far, primarily thanks to the nature of the story. The screenplay leans heavily into flashbacks and expressionistic interpretations of the horror elements, making the movie feel much more expansive than its primary location. Cinematographer Michael Gioulakis and production designer David J. Bomba deserve a lot of credit for the success of these elements.
Of course, as with many films adapted from works for the stage, The Piano Lesson serves as a wonderful showcase for its cast, and John David Washington delivers career-best work in his lead role. Like the movie itself, his performance is mostly invariant at first, but throughout the second and third acts, he adds layers of depth and vulnerability to the role. This is very much a family affair, with Malcolm writing and directing, John David starring, and Denzel producing; yet it doesn’t feel like an act of nepotism but one of shared passion.
The other shining star of the cast is Danielle Deadwyler (underappreciated for her phenomenal role in 2022’s Till), who will likely earn her deserved flowers here. Her performance is simply crushing — full of sadness but also boasting a vitality that allows the audience to connect with and feel her pain regardless of their own personal experience — culminating in a third-act sequence that is among the most impressive moments of acting you will see in any film this year.
Beyond those two standouts, the rest of the ensemble in The Piano Lesson is also strong, even if they do have their thunder mostly stolen by their co-stars. Ray Fisher is very charming as the play’s comedic relief, while Samuel L. Jackson and Corey Hawkins get a few moving scenes each but are clearly there to support, giving very unflashy turns.
Is The Piano Lesson worth watching?
The Piano Lesson is, by far, the best adaptation we have seen yet of August Wilson’s work. Malcolm Washington took the source material and made a complex, gripping, and stirring movie out of it, establishing himself as just as exciting of a talent as his brother or father.
The Piano Lesson screened at the 2024 Austin Film Festival, which runs October 24-31. It hits theaters on November 8 and streams on Netflix beginning November 22.
