Piano Teacher (2001)
AKA: La Pianiste
Directed by: Michael Haneke
Starring: Isabelle Huppert (Erika Kohut), Benoit Magimel (Walter Klemmer), Annie Girardot (Mother)
Country: France, Austria; Effed Up European Films
Language: French (Eng Subs); Effed Up French Cinema
Runtime: 02:10:59
Genres: Family, Domestic Abuse, Older-Younger Relationships, SelfHarm, Sexual-Violence against Women, Voyeur, SM-Roleplay, Misery-Depressing
Plot – Spoilers:
A Viennese piano teacher, Erika, specializing in Schubert shares an apartment and a complex relationship with her mother. They fight, sometimes it gets physical, then they hug and make up. But it’s always Erika saying sorry.
Their rivalry is symbolic quite early on when they head to a private recital. Mother is dressed fancy wearing jewellery while Erika’s in a dull coat. And it’s Erika’s performance. There is no rivalry.
Mother has total control of Erika’s life including romance and sexuality. But Erika, who needs a permission slip from mother if she’s gonna be home a few hours late, is a different cold beast outdoors where she’s respected but feared by her peers and students.
A person resigned to their sexuality being a solo activity can get weirdly creative. And so it is with Erika. Watching porn at home is out of the question, so she goes to a rental and watches movies while sniffing the used spunk-laden tissues lying there. Sometimes she just mutilates her pussy. Other times, it’s less dramatic as she voyeurs around couples fucking in public and takes a piss in suffering ecstasy as tears roll down her cheeks. But whatever she gets up to outside home, when she returns, she’s quick to check her heels and make sure there’s no dirt for mother to notice she’s been out, offroad.
All this though is just a small half in a work of mastery from the Austrian master, Michael Haneke.
A cocksure young man, Walter, tries to force himself into Erika’s icy world and we see another side to her as she flits between S and M, while awakening in Walter, things he was unaware of. This takes a while though, because Erika by force of habit doesn’t want to get to know Walter like regular folk do. She needs to be able to study him from afar, to form an opinion of him when he’s not around her – in short, all impressions of him are to not come from outside, but from within, as she reiterates her opinions to herself.
Outstanding performances from two leads is what’s needed for a deeply complex relationship and that’s exactly what Haneke extracts here.
Random:
So why are characters set in Vienna talking mostly in French. Apparently Haneke was so sure he wanted Isabelle Huppert, he just got everyone to go French.
Please add an option to remove subtitles, merci
what a stunning and meaningful movie. one of my favorites! glad it’s on here too now
Yourall just shit cant, Infantfuckers.!
wasn’t bad at all, but not sure if I understand what the ending was about…
I can do private piano tutoring for your kids,even let them play on my pipe organ all day long.
You are pedophile
For you,I charge extra
Why do i always hear your insecure thoughts when i read the comments why dont you hug a three whus
Because u love my cock in your asshole and learn to spell,dumb cunt
You are a Paki Pedo
I am not even from pakistan and I am not pedophile. Stop lie
Hang yourself faggot.
Only if you suck me off first
Weird ass nigga
Brilliant, fascinating and bizarre film. The musical sequences are monumental, especially the elegant duel piano recital. Epic performance by Isabelle Huppert. 5 stars.
I’ll get some flack for this but I find it repulsive that some comments below are written on such a sophisticated film as this. It’s an embarrassment.
Dear Old Man Hubbard:
About Isabelle Huppert! She truly is a great access, not just in film, but also on stage.
What makes her so special, also for the Admin(s) I believe, is her ‘coldness’ and ‘cruelty’. It makes her the ideal actress for the role of a ‘bad woman’. Anyone who has not seen this: watch any movie of Claude Chabrol with Isabelle Huppert as leading actress: this is the perfect opposite of the Raymond Chandler movies, where now the bad woman wins and not the private detective; amazing stuff! Paul Verhoeven must have recognized this when Isabelle Huppert was cast for the leading role in ‘Elle’. To make this more clear: Many of you will have seen Benjamin Caron’s ‘Sharper’; good, but not great, and with Julianne Moore, an actress I have been in love with for more than 20 years. Alas, this was not the perfect role for here! Imagine Isabelle Huppert playing Julianne Moore’s role: that would have given an entirely different movie!
Do you think the 78 or 56 program is the best?
Are all your comments secret coded messages? I have no idea what you are talking about.
You’re one to talk. I believe you’re the biggest shitposter here also Steve, Richard and Heinz are your alts. So stfu and go clean mommy’s diapers. You fool nobody.
Your friendly Cole.
You want people to see that picture? You look like a retard.
What a great choice, Admin(s)! This film has always made me think of Liliana Calvani’s ‘The Night Porter’, which would be an excellent choice too, but maybe this film is already here.
SUCK MY DICK COCK GOBBLER CUNT FAGGOT PRICK ASSHOLE FUCK BITCH DICKHEAD RAPE
(Sorry, just trying to reach out. Maybe the Admin(s) can try to get funding from non-American agencies that aim at improving the understanding of American culture.)
What I like especially is that the Admin(s) have given themselves away in their love and fascination for Isabelle Huppert. Of course, she is a great actress, but there is something else: she is high-class and vulgar at the same time, dominating always, hardly ever open to other people, yet, one gets the impression there is a tender, caring side somewhere as well. These contradictions, uncertainties about what is important to us, is the ultimate element of what makes ‘effedup’: never ‘you’, always strange and out of reach.
The second interesting thing is this remark about the characters speaking French. Before WW II this was a lingua franca in Europe and remained so for quite a while in the cultural upper-classes. So why not speaking French. Nowadays, the characters would perhaps speak English (Huppert was in several English-language movies but would that make a difference for the film?
Not here. But should and will be.
Howdy superstars!!
Hello sir
Excellent film. A must watch.
I Believe That 37 is LSSJ
This slut is like Richard/Ed/Steve…..Seems to have MPD, is pretty good on the piano…BUT SUCKS ON THE ORGAN……..Hey Ron, You got a live one here buddy!
love all of Micheal Hanekes films, this one included
Dragon Ball is 79 not 69
second
Stfu you attention seeking cock gobbler. No one cares.
stop using my name u pathetic cunt – ik its u
Suck my dick
DOING 3K NOT 5
How can you possibly know?
You are fred and he is zed man.
You clearly do, fuckhead. That’s why you commented.
That’s an interesting point Richard.
Agreeing with yourself?….you are a weird cunt, Thats the only interesting thing here, You being an oddball prick, Pretending to be 2 different people & then agreeing with yourself. Good job you fuckwit, You got em fooled…..”Superstar”
Hey prick, Richard got a thumbs up vote. How do you think that happened? The magic upvote fairy? No. I upvoted Richard’s comment. I am not Richard. It is you that hides behind fake names because you are a scared, frail little pussy who couldn’t beat your way out of a wet paper bag. I’d beat your fucking brains in if you had any. Don’t get infuriated you little asshole.
You can up/down vote yourself many times. Try it and see.
Exactly, not to sharp are we “Ed” have a seat & think about it a little more with the rest of your personalities lol.
Did you mean to say “Not too sharp…” quiz kid?
Yeah got me, OK then, spell “once” for me if we’re getting to spelling errors & shit now mastermind. Spell it once, only “one”
What the fuck are you talking about you triggered fuck head? Learn how to spell you uneducated, simple minded, frail and weak little pussy and stop hiding behind fake user names you fucking coward.
Says Steve that can’t be spell “once” dirty pedo cock jockey, “Triggered coward” whoa thats a new one you fucking feeble little dickhead
An upvote woooooo yeeeeah woo fuck yeah, that proves everything yeah omg an upvote yaaaaay, if i was bothered with such shit Steve i could upvote myself YOU STOOPID CUNT, its not that hard brightboy, ah yes the internetdork could kick my ass lol, you couldn’t fight sleep you fag, the only reason you beat those 8 year olds you molest is because of CHLOROFORM you sad weak fuck.
Triggered?
Couldn’t help but use word out could you Steve, further proving my point, Read kibble master’s comment you dim witted tool hahahahhaha, Enough said dipshit.
Why prove Ed is right with an angry comment?
“Ed” & “Edna” Ahahahahahahahahahahaha
You were doing so well (until the up/downvote thing, which you were wrong) you managed to use another word besides triggered like “infuriated” but then when your fuck up was discovered, you got “Triggered” & resorted to Typical Steve/,Richard speak, well done.
Ed really got you all riled up. Why don’t you shut the fuck up you infuriated coward?
You did fuck all…..
Love the new word guys “Infuriated” so much better than that outdated “Triggered” plus the bonus is, some folk on here might actually believe y’all are different people, My god you are an evil genius.
Suck my dick
Child molester?
I don’t hide behind fake names like you do you fucking coward.
Steve, Richard, Ed, Edna, Doomsday clock, Jamie, Trigger points, An observer, a concerned friend,David , Jonathon…..& you use Ted Nugents, Tommy Karates, Ron Jeremys & a dozen others YOU fucking coward, its ok, if i was a choldmolester, No way id stick to one user name.
Are you writing a book or is all this knowledge for a research paper? Little asshole?
Yes its a true crime book about you & your gang calked PEDOPHILIA UNCOVERED
You eh want to feel my balls with this man eh? Would you say these things to me? I don’t understand.
That is many. But i think you maybe are right, they type similar.
Ok steve cool story fag
I did not know until recently that it is legal to carry small amounts of chloroform on Japanese trains.
This does not suprise me, Dirty old men over there in particular for some reason have a prediction for virgins & underage girls
Unlike Russell Brand, Huw Edwards (boys), Philip Schofield (boys), Jimmy Saville (anything including the dead), Dimbleby (regular visitor to pedo island).
Age of consent in Japan was 13. It was raised to 16 this year.
I think the difference is that BBC, other news-media and the labour party like to protect such people. Maybe just like here pedo is the norm.
Saville was a very strong man, he achieved ultimate freedom.
It seems that way, 13 was the japanese age of consent until this year? Fucking hell, had no idea, figured it would be 16 or older like most other places, Then again there are those fucked up middle east countries who have Child brides & shit, sooo i guess not as surprising as first thought.
Suck my dick
Suck my dick
Maybe if you fucked off for six months things would improve.
Who the fuck asked you? Go play with your Lego, little boy and get off moms computer.
No one. Then again who the fuck are you to come here and comment on something that has been happening for so long that you should know better. It has been a long time since your contributed with anything of substance so as I said fuck off for six months and maybe the next comment you make can be at least film related. Remind us what was the last film on here you actually watched and reviewed….go on…surprise us..you worthless piece of sweaty tramp crud.
Keep waiting, In the mean time, Suck my dick.
Suck my dick
Hey Ron – is that what you are in to? Busting a nut on some male LGBTQ fuck head’s face? You’re a flaming faggot. This is a movie website, not a gay dating website. If you want to bust a nut on some LGBTQ man’s face you’re on the wrong website you fucking faggot. Get lost shit for brains.
But you’re not a man, so its all gravy
It is very funny for me.
I WILL NEVER DO 52!!!!!
first
Cool, Suck my dick