The Piano Teacher (2002)

I so love the book by Jellinek, it's a masterpiece. Fantastic language ( Jellinek varies according to her books, some of it are too experimental for me : when proving that her characters 'are lost in translation 'and will never understand each othr, she de-composes her language into abstraction. But THIS one is written in a very emotional style, exactly the oppposite of what she shows her surrounding ( or in the film ) , then she is rigidly composed/repressed, don't forget this is not about the PIANISTE, but a deadly critique on her country Austria, and why they also censured her lots of times, it's about Austrian society + history ( the most repressed European country, very conservative, alwys been like this, and thus its artists ar the most extreme of Europee....!! always been like this, think of body-exprssionism-performances-with -blood-and -cuts in the 50-70s........ Anyway , the book is TERRIFIC, you are inside her mind, and bellieve me that's a humorous + very intelligent mind, of the PIANISTE, wicked monologue interieurs, and she kicks ass at her 'kiddo'too. The film I gave a 8. ( not my fav Haneke )

'The Piano Teacher' is a brutal exploration and analysis of a woman's fetishes and sexual urges. Erika is an anti-hero, she is not someone who evokes complete empathy, but the complexity of character makes her extremely interesting to analyse and interpret. Right from the very first scene Haneke establishes a very abusive relationship between Erika and her mother. The mother(who is never given a name to add to her persona) is an immensely overbearing woman who still has a huge hold and influence on the life of the middle-aged Erika. It is also hinted at that her father underwent mental disintegration which may have also had an impact on Erika's mental state during her formative years. It is slowly revealed that the sexual repression that Erika has had to live under due to her mother, has resulted in her developing various sexual fetishes like voyeurism which range from some interesting habits like frequenting porn stores to some absolutely disturbing habits like self-mutilations. She sees these somewhat twisted sexual fetishes as her way to defy the restrictions placed on her by her mother. However this narrow attitude of viewing sex as a means to defy her mother instead of a way to make love made her build a wall around her making her distant and immune to the possibility of developing any feelings for someone.'The Piano Teacher' for me revolves around the concept of control. Erika never had complete control over her life. Her sexual voyeurism and fetishes were her way to take some control back. Along with this she also overbearingly controlled the performances of her students which at times involved full-fledged intimidation. As soon as she starts developing feelings for Walter, we see her feel uneasy, very flustered and tentative. This is because opening up to him and revealing her complete self(along with her fetishes) to someone would involve giving away the bit of control that she wants. The dynamic between Erika and Walter in its progression and in the way the control shifts from one character to another, feels natural and considering the climax of the film, very believable due to the inherent risks that were always going to appear from Erika's point of view.Haneke doesn't engage in too much flashy camera like he did in 'Code Unknown' with the numerous long shots. The long unbroken shots are here too, but they are used sparingly for crucial scenes. Haneke uses a lot of subtlety in the way he treats the characters and the sensitive subjects with some examples of genuinely brilliant staging and direction of potentially risky scenes. Another thing that Haneke focuses on is close-ups and reaction shots of Isabelle Huppert, which brings me to Huppert's performance. This freaking woman has the ability to convey 25 different emotions with one single look or a subtle raising of the eyebrow or a subtle chuckle. She has the skill to be commanding as well as vulnerable at any moment and Haneke makes use of this with the close-ups and extended shots where the camera just rests on her face. This film will certainly not be as effective without that central performance. Benoît Magimel and Annie Girardot deserve admiration for their performances too.This is not a film for everyone. But the complexity of the characters and Haneke's uninhibited and piercing treatment of sexuality, control and power make this film worth a strong recommendation.

I suppose there are some who will watch this film and, being naïve, will be shocked by the sado-masochistic nature of the relationships it depicts into reaching for fanciful explanations of the story. If so, this would do no more than betray their lack of familiarity with those unusual, but not particularly rare, traits.To be clear; this is not the greatly symbolic film some ill-conceived reviews would have you believe. Instead, it's a fairly straightforward effort about a person with masochistic tendencies. Other than the fact that this person lives with her domineering, wheedling mother, we are told nothing of the life that led her to develop these tendencies, so we are left simply to observe the consequences of her having them. Those consequences range from somewhat interesting, particularly in the first part of the film, to mildly disturbing.The saving grace of the film is Isabelle Huppert's performance as Erika Kohut, ably supported by Annie Girardot as her mother. Unfortunately, the role of Walter Klemmer, unconvincingly written as it is, cannot be saved by Benoît Magimel and constitutes the film's major defect.If you're looking for some metaphysical profundity about the human condition or a cutting allegory about society, look elsewhere. This is a sometimes clumsy depiction of masochism and particularly of sadism partially, but not wholly redeemed, by some fine acting.

Astounding. I believe I've never seen a performance like Hupert's.Erika (Hupert) is a piano teacher whose, seemingly normal life, has a deep burden. While all her students admire her for her incredible talent and experience, they all fear her due to the emotionless harsh critics she launches. Her relationship with her mother is a true havoc, when both of them love but distrust each other. Having to take so much stress and repression, Erika finds relief on hurtful sexual experiences. That was it, until a young man, fascinated by her, comes into her life and insists to get to her. This shakes Erika, and therefore, makes her have to step out of her dreadful, but safe routine.This movie is just perfect. Even tough I have no sexual desires like Erika's, I can definitely understand her, why she behaves a certain way, and why she searches certain things. It feels incredibly personal. Like a real person being close watched.