(***1/2)
The legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson is being kept alive by Denzel Washington and his family. Their archives of his genius and plays are movie adaptations, e.g. Fences (2016) and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020). The latest, The Piano Lesson, directed by Washington’s son Malcolm, was showcased at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
In 1936 Pittsburgh, the prized ancestral heirloom of the Charles family is a 137-year-old upright piano adorned with African sculptures that were carved by an enslaved ancestor. The antique has a money value that an heir, a Mississippi sharecropper named Boy Willie (John David Washington), would like to cash in so he can buy some land his kin worked on as slaves. However, his sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler, Till) is adamant that the piano stays in the family, in her Uncle Doaker’s (Samuel L. Jackson) home. Doaker referees the strong-willed siblings’ differences of opinion, arguments and confrontations. “Berneice ain’t gonna sell that piano!” Emotional tug-of-wars boil up and over to the point of possible violence over a piano and its mystical power: “You feel that? That’s your family. That’s your blood.”
A Romare Bearden painting of the same name inspired August Wilson to compose this profound allegory that can help African Americans navigate the importance of history and heritage. Adapting a tale of such significance is not an easy task. Harder still? Turning a play that propels its narrative forward through words and limited movement into a medium where words are secondary to optics. Director Malcolm Washington’s previous experience was a 20m short film named Benny Got Shot. Masterfully he’s graduated to feature film directing and writing, creating the most cinematic adaptation of a Wilson play so far.
Washington, with Oscar-nominated co-screenwriter Virgil Williams (Mudbound), keeps Wilson’s main story intact and fleshes out the piano’s past in evocative clips. Just enough to remind audiences of the gravity of the instrument and its meaning to the family who survived the perils of slavery—with great sacrifices. Those entrusted with continuing the family’s pride don’t always agree. Sometimes they battle like Cain and Abel. That anger, hostility and unwillingness to bend provides the unbridled passion in this 20th century fable that pulls you into a family’s dilemma with no easy resolution in sight.
With the skill of a veteran, Washington draws you into the fractured household, giving the audience a front row seat to an emotional mudwrestling match that lasts for 2h 7m (editor Leslie Jones). Exterior shots set the time and era, from back in the day to now. But most of the drama takes place in a home (production designer David J. Bomba), which is perfectly accessorized (set decoration, Patrick Cassidy), with earth-tone colors (art directors Chardae Adams and Justin J. Jordan) that complement the surroundings and clothes (costume designer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck) that distinguish each character. The lighting accentuates faces, things and exchanges (cinematographer Mike Gioulakis, Us). The music intensifies the peaked emotions (Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel). What you’re seeing and hearing is of the highest standards. Sometimes displayed like a story book. Sometimes like a PBS Masterpiece theater presentation. Sometimes like a tangled horror/thriller.
The editing and cinematography are clipped and kinetic enough to stop this production from being just another filmed play. The effort to be cinematic is there, but still the dialogue is so unrestrained, especially Boy Willie’s, that those who don’t know the story’s origin will just assume it’s based on a play. That said, the dialogue is so pointed most will still be rivetted—even through some slow passages. A large part of the attention-grabbing theatrics is due to the stunning performances by a well-honed cast, and some did these same roles in a 2022 Broadway revival. So, no wonder.
John David Washington and Jackson were part of that recent staging, and Jackson was nominated for a Tony. Their familiarity with the play is evident in all scenes, as they display a very fluid and magnetic comradery. The rage Washington expresses for his dream deferred is palpable. Jackson, as the nonchalant mediator in a near biblical squabble, is subtle and not bombastic. The wild card is Deadwyler as the stubborn, righteous sister. For all Boy Willie’s ferociousness there is an answer, a bulwark. Berniece will not be persuaded by a few shiny gold coins, she’s standing by her guns, literally. Washington and Deadwyler are magnificent. Ray Fisher as Boy Willie’s sidekick Lymon, Corey Hawkins as Rev Avery, Michael Potts as Wining Boy, Doaker’s brother, and Skylar Aleece Smith as Maretha, Bernice’s’ young daughter, fill out the talented cast.
Ghostly, supernatural aspects and an extremely climatic ending bring the proceedings to a fever pitch. But it makes you wonder. What if the director, writers and producers had ripped the band aid off completely? What if they’d gotten rid of any tell-tale theater signs? Kept the characters and storylines and added more settings? Cut the dialogue, monologues and scenes down to the bare bones? Film fans, who aren’t theater folk and want their cinema pure, laconic and kinetic, would appreciate that. What if the incessant use of the “N” word was gone? What if the footage spent more time building the past and segueing into present day 1936 and less time with the characters recollecting? That could have been a more accessible experience and led to greater box office success.
A poignant well-produced adaptation. Fiery acting. A tale that reminds audiences, especially African American ones, that what came before is as important as what comes next. Malcolm Washington, in his feature film directing debut, becomes a perceptive griot who spreads the wisdom of August Wilson.
During the film’s premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, dad and producer Denzel Washington and Constanza Romero, Wilson’s widow, cheered the first-time filmmaker on. As they should. As audiences will.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZwjt0pjt8w
Cast photo courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival.
In theaters November 8th, 2024, and on Netflix November 22nd.
For more information about the Toronto International Film Festival go to https://tiff.net/.
Visit Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.
