THE PIANO TEACHER Discussion

I've been wanting to check this out for a while, unfortunately it's impossible to find for rental near me. Nice to hear you liked it though.

I kind of want to see this. I say kind of, because I'm still pretty fucked up from Funny Games. That one really got under my skin and has completely changed how I watch horror films, which is probably a good thing, but it's done it by making me really easily bothered by violent scenes which I could have done without. Trying to watch Midnight Meat Train two weeks later was a bad idea, I nearly threw up.

So, definitely interested in the Piano Teacher, but I'm unsure if it'll be worth the trauma. I know it really bothered my ex when he saw it. I'm gonna keep an eye on this thread though, interested to see what people have to say about it.

The movie is disturbing, the characters are often repellent, and yet, it's still fascinating and masterfully crafted. I liked it better than The White Ribbon.

It's also one of my girlfriend's favorite films. Take that for what it's worth.

There's an intentional ambiguity which seems to speak directly towards Kohut's issues. It's impossible to say if she definitely was frightened, in a negative emotional state, or if she was hiding some pleasure. Reading it both ways would be in tune with her character as presented prior to this scene - Huppert's amazing facial nuances towards Klemmer show sexual reserve. At the same time, why is she putting any energy into this reserve? It's clearly driven by pain, obviously from the parents.

This is beautiful cinema. I have watched a small handful of Haneke, and I have loved every single one of them. This one stands apart from everything I've seen from him, as not only is it a character study, but its theme is driven not by politics/modern society, but by seemingly what he perceives as either female sexuality, or mother/daughter relations, and I'm sure this is a very contentious point, one which I'm not really in the mood to address in this post.

Initially, my immediate reaction to Piano Teacher was that it was too over the top and direct. The highly charged scenes in which Kohut is in isolation, free to act upon her demented desires, struck me as heavy handed. With a few days of thought, they are still heavy handed, but they resonate. The character's actions fit beautifully with her confused emotions towards the general world around her...

It's such a sad, beautiful story. I still need time to think about it. It would be cool if CHUDites had more to say about this and help me process this beast.

I have only seen the film once, but my impression is that yes, this was what Erika wanted, or rather, what she thought she wanted. It is what she essentially requested in her letter. However, the appeal of these desires has existed for so long only w/in the confines of her safe, fantasy world. I think the reality of the situation was a much different experience than what she thought it would be.

Great topic!