However, Walter’s outward appearance hides a darker and malicious persona that further corrupts Erika’s already twisted mind. Magimel’s Walter Klemmer is everything that Erika lusts after, as he is good looking, talented and seemingly kind. Without revealing too much, Haneke snares the viewer into a pit of despair, where idealized notions of love are instead challenged and replaced by primal human desire. Justifiably repulsed by Erika’s requests, Walter seemingly exits the dynamic only to return in a brutal fashion that leaves the piano teacher distraught and in an almost catatonic state. Walter is clearly infatuated with Erika and pursues her with enthusiasm, only to sharply alter his perspective when she presents him a document that details her deepest and darkest desires. Though Walter tries his best to pursue Erika, she rebukes his advances with a nasty level of humiliation, playing mind games as she pretends to satisfy his urges before quickly becoming distant. Walter initially expressed his admiration for Erika’s talent, however her aloofness creates a social barrier that prevents him from getting close to her, further enforcing their their Teacher-Student dynamic.ĭeeming her uninterested, the young and handsome Walter flirts with another student Anna (Anna Sigalevitch), which causes the jealous Erika to covertly exact a vicious act and damage Anna’s piano playing hands. Suddenly, Erika fixates her attention on a young engineer and new talented musician in Walter Klemmer (Benoit Magimel) with whom she meets at a recital. Whilst by day she commands respect and fear from her conservatory students, by night she is tormented by parental restraint – even having her own finances micromanaged by her unnamed mother (Annie Girardot). Though professionally brilliant, her personal life is besieged by an unnatural level of control and Erika is a sexually repressed and isolated lady that is fascinated by everything from sadomasochistic fetishes to self-mutilation. However, despite her self-assured manner, Erika still shares an apartment with her controlling elderly mother as her father had previously been committed to an asylum years prior. She is seemingly strict and demanding, with such being attributed to her own sense of perfection and high skill. Isabelle Hupert plays Erika Kohut, a middle aged piano professor teaching at the Vienna music conservatory. What transpires is a slow burn, but one that Haneke initiates so masterfully it really gets under the skin. Based on a 1983 novel by Austrian playwright and novelist, Elfriede Jelinek TPT is a descent into the depths of depravity with the hellish concepts of sado-masochism juxtaposed against the classy and sterile setting of a music conservatory. The stark question will always be why venture into this style of modern cinema in the first place? Some genuinely seek a shocking experience, yet for the most part (in my opinion) it is all about witnessing the risk a film maker has decided to take, with the pay-off being the audience appreciation and creating an unforgettable experience.Īlthough touted as a romance or psychological drama, Michael Haneke’s 2001 film THE PIANO TEACHER (TPT) nestles nicely into the aforementioned category of disturbing films – and though it flirts with eroticism, there are enough terrifying elements to make this a gothic horror film. These style of films do not exclusively exist within a vacuum, however their presence is undeniable and thus should be treated as more than merely a curio. Pragmatists will critique such reactions asserting the fictionalized stories as ‘It’s only a movie’ but these are often the same people who may blatantly avoid such alternative genres, rendering their criticisms as moot. If one looks hard enough, cinematic avenues beyond the mainstream present themselves and the art that one seeks can quickly distort and ultimately disturb the viewer.įrom personal experience, one key scene in Gaspar Noe’s ‘IRREVERSIBLE’ (2002) caused me to exit the theatre as I dry wretched Srđan Spasojević’s ‘A SERBIAN FILM’ (2010) prompted severe insomnia for over two days Pascal Laugier’s ‘MARTYRS’ (2008) rendered me incapable of eating for a day, whilst the less said about Pier Pasolini’s ‘SALO’ aka ‘120 DAYS OF SODOM’ (1975) or Takashi Miike’s ‘AUDITION’ (1999), the better.
Though debated as an art form, cinema can do more than just entertain as it can harness raw emotions to solicit reactions ranging from elation to fear.