Review: The Piano Lesson

Image courtesy of Netflix.

There are ghosts both literal and figurative haunting the characters of "The Piano Lesson," a new adaptation of August Wilson's play of the same name. The picture is directed by Malcolm Washington, who finds himself joining the family business of adapting Wilson's work to the screen - his father, Denzel, starred in and directed an adaptation of of "Fences," while brother John David Washington takes the lead in this film as Boy Willie.

The movie opens in 1911 when a group of Black men are springing a piano from its home somewhere in the South from its white owner, Sutter (Jay Peterson), during a July 4th celebration. One of the men stays behind and flees as his home is burnt, while the other two escape with the piano and a young boy on a wagon.

In 1936, Boy Willie shows up in Pittsburgh - where Wilson was from and where many of his plays were set - to claim his rights on the piano. He is given a frosty welcome by his sister, Berniece (a terrific Danielle Deadwyler), who has no intention of giving up the instrument, and a friendlier greeting from his uncle, Doaker (a more restrained Samuel L. Jackson).

Boy Willie has brought along his easygoing pal Lymon (Ray Fisher) to help carry the piano. Also in the mix are preacher Avery (Corey Hawkins), who is trying to convince Berniece to marry him, and another relative named Wining Boy (Michael Potts), who seems willing to share wisdom on various matters, that is, until he takes to the drink.

"The Piano Lesson" is an engrossing and very well acted film about heritage and generational trauma. Boy Willie and Berniece are just a generation or two removed from slavery and their father was killed years before while trying to remove the piano - which he had carved for Sutter, who separated his family through trade. For Berniece, the piano represents the struggles of her family, with which she is not willing to part. But for Boy Willie, it is an artifact that can be sold off so that he can buy farm land down South for himself.

Meanwhile, a ghost occasionally pops up, threatening that "The Piano Lesson" might turn into a horror movie. The ghost is Sutter, who died when falling into his well, and there are some questions as to whether this was the result of an accident or foul play.

The cast is excellent across the board. Washington plays Boy Willie as a blusterer who seems to believe that if he just keeps talking he will wear people down, so that he can get what he wants. Due to his size, Lymon is an imposing figure, but he's one of the gentler souls of the bunch. Doaker is wise to stay out of the conflict between the two siblings. And although she's not technically the lead character, Berniece is the one who makes the greatest impact due to Deadwyler's terrific work here.

Due to the fact that "The Piano Lesson" is a play, much of the film is spent indoors and a majority of its running time is centered around its characters talking. So, it's a good thing that its cast does such a splendid job of bringing these characters to life. 

And its most captivating aspect is the debate between Boy Willie and Berniece as how one can best honor one's troubled history - by hanging on to an artifact surrounded by so much pain as a means of tribute for those who made their mark on it, or to trade it for money that can be used to make a better life. It's a compelling question in a very good adaptation of a work of one of our greatest playwrights.