The Piano Teacher (2001)

Dec 25

Aren’t all piano teachers masochistic?

Presentation:

Despite being filmed in 2001, the film seems bring us much further back in time as it is seems to be presented in 720p, which I think benefited the film so that we can focus on the story as opposed to image quality. This is quite a twisted, psychological drama of the relationship between piano teacher and student. Be warned this is not some sweet romance but a very upsetting freudian relationship intended to disturb audiences not shying away from explicit taboos in the slightest. It’s also a French film so they definitely court and socialize differently. Uncomfortable isn’t exactly the right word, it’s not so much as trying to provoke as it is attempting to awaken something within the audience, but it is very psychosexual in nature. This could be too detached from reality, but the film masterfully begins with her complex relationship with her mother so that we may better understand this woman’s masochistic behavior.

Analysis:

The core idea the film attempts to get to the bottom of is sexual repression and the complexity of relationships. From the inception of the film we can already see the hot-blooded and violent relationship between mother and daughter that audiences can surely relate to. We are constantly reminded of her mother’s strict influence that has conditioned her to enjoy pain and seek solace in the demanding discipline of classic music, still morally ambiguous whether it exonerates her from her actions. I think her sabotaging her student goes too far and for me I felt that any punishment was justified, but she nevertheless draws sympathy with how pathetic she becomes. To see her be so repressed but also berate other students just feels so raw and convincingly believable. As for the relationship with the student, I think there is another theme at play here, the tit for tat of romance, the cyclical chase and indifference of French romance of wanting to feel love but not so easily receive it, that is a ultimately a toxic endeavor. As for the ending, I think her stabbing herself is just another metaphor for self inflicted pain, the BDSM and sadistic pain she craves for because of an absent father, whether it is inflicted on herself or others. This is not just a film, but a character study on psychological trauma.

Conclusion:

This film is deceptively erotic on a subconscious level dealing with the dark side of suffering with some very unsettling explicit scenes. The mother-daughter relationship was the most fascinating to me and the teacher student relationship was both extreme and somehow believable at the same time. It’s so bizarre and yet so real, it’s extraordinary what inner demons become unlocked through their volatile relationship. An extremely complex film that attempts to explore even deeper aspects of human psychology and how abusive love can be. The music is also interesting but is more of background noise in comparison to the electric freudian themes at the forefront. This is a film that psychologists or those fascinated with Jungian and Freudian ideas should appreciate.

more rotten chilis