Coming out of the haze and chill of Haneke’s “The Glaciation Trilogy“, his 2001 offering, La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher) feels like a walk in the park. Straightforward plot, strange but decipherable characters. Oh, I’m sure you’ve heard your share of stories of repressed individuals who turn out to have the most disgusting sexual fantasies. This is an intense character study of such an individual. Erika is a piano teacher who shares an apartment (and a bedroom) with her domineering mother, and one day meets a student who is attracted to her. Isabelle Huppert is amazing here. You wouldn’t want to cross her.
Eliza Victoria 