raul_nib Haneke's adaptation of austriac Nobel Winner novelist Elfriede Jelinek will inevitably leave an impression on you be it a good one or not. The film follows piano teacher Erika Kohut, a middle aged woman who is torn between her abusive, possessive mother's expectations and her own personal desires. This,however changes when she meets Walter Klemmer, a young and extremely competitive music enthusiast who takes an interest on her. From them on you see Erika slowly leaving her confortable zone of power as a strict and harsh piano teacher to a place of complete vulnerability as she shows her most inner hidden desires to Klemmer. From the beautiful soundtrack,sometimes accompanied by real playing by the lead actors, to the ambiguous commentary on male-female sexual power relations,the breath-taking acting done by lead Isabelle Huppert,the gut punching, stomach turning climax and ending segments;La Pianiste not only makes justice to Elfriede's novel but also in some ways surpasses it.

Gordon-11 This film tells the story of a female piano teacher who has perverse fantasies towards her young student.The piano teacher seems like an ordinary woman, until her dark side is introduced. It is provocative and at times even disturbing. The scene in the video club is quite a shock to me. Then, the story builds on and goes even further. Yet, the ending is a great surprise. It is a provocative, disturbing and engaging film.

Hitchcoc This is my second experience with a film by Haneke, We have an incredibly intense, repressed character, played by Isabel Huppert. She lives with her mother and they involve themselves in a love/hate relationship. As a piano teacher she is a cruel taskmaster. It is obvious that she is sought after despite her almost sadistic vent. When she is not at work she visits a sex shop and watches pornography. She also goes to drive-in movies and peeks into cars at couples having sex. She is likewise, self-abusive. She is not unlike a fascist state in her demeanor. She meets a young, incredibly talented piano student who wants to be in her master class. There is sexual tension here. He begins to lust after her. She is cold but attractive, although at times her very being seems somewhat beyond her years. He really loves her and we know that somehow these two will meet in some way. He plays hockey and there is a kind of male testosterone thing going on. She has a stilted view of sexuality. He has the more traditional view, being on the make and wanting things to be consensual. This movie contains some of the sickest scenes I've seen. There is one scene in a public toilet where things get quite deranged. I have couple more Haneke films to see soon. They are certainly thought provoking.

George Roots (GeorgeRoots) "The Piano Teacher" is a 1983 novel by Elfriede Jelinek, that has been adapted for the screen by Michael Haneke. I've never read the original source material, but through reading a plot summary it seems Mr. Haneke hits a majority of the themes and scenarios represented. Michael Haneke has a certain approach to characters in his movies that I've come to respect a great deal. Aside from shooting his works effortlessly, he has always depicted his characters in a way as to never manipulate the audience, but allow their actions and mannerisms remain open to interpretation for each individual. This allows for less formulaic performances, and a story like "The Piano Teacher" can benefit greatly with this approach.Erika Kohut (Isabelle Huppert), is a piano professor at a prestigious music conservatory. Already in her forties, she still lives in an apartment with her domineering mother (Annie Girardot), leading to much frustration between the pair. Eventually Erika meets Walter Klemmer (Benoit Magimel), a 17 year old engineering student and eventually both develop an obsession with each other. Even though she initially tries to sever contact between them, his persistence eventually leads to his discovery of her personal and quite frank voyeurism.For as challenging as the film may get, it never begins to become tedious. Granted for a 2 hour picture the story feels a little stretched, yet it's Haneke's camera work and Huppert's fantastic performance that makes this all so highly engaging and unique. The music is implemented while forged extraordinarily well, and the levels of S&M can become extremely uncomfortable towards the third act, which finally made me realised why so many reviews I've read said it became "unpleasant" viewing. Regardless, it all leads to a stunning conclusion and I highly recommend this movie. If we can live in a time where fan-fiction like "Fifty Shades of Grey" sells millions, then "The Piano Teacher" is in a league of its own and should be praised and held in a much higher regard. Final Verdict: Isabelle Huppert made the movie for me. She really transcends what could've been expected, and my predicaments towards the stories conclusion were consistently altered. 9/10.