With Black excellence, impeccable filmmaking, and towering performances, Netflix’s “The Piano Lesson” hit the awards season scene this weekend at the Telluride Film Festival. Debut director Malcolm Washington and stars John David Washington and Danielle Deadwyler were on hand as the film premiered to strong reviews. Given the response and Netflix’s enthusiasm for the project, “The Piano Lesson” could find itself with a best picture nomination.
The latest adaptation from the late playwright August Wilson’s “Century Cycle,” the film is set in 1936 Pittsburgh. It follows the Charles family as they grapple with familial trauma and the (literal) ghosts of their ancestors — it’s a history of violence and cruelty and oppression that are illustrated in the elaborate decorations and designs that have been carved into a piano. And the fate of that family heirloom — whether it will be sold or kept as a memorial to the sacrifices and suffering that earlier generations endured — is at the center of the play and the film.
The Piano Lesson. Danielle Deadwyler as Berniece in The Piano Lesson. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix
Deadwyler, egregiously snubbed for her remarkable work in “Till” (2022), returns as an undeniable acting contender for her stunning portrayal of Berniece, a recently widowed woman dealing with grief. The film’s final moments cement her place in the supporting actress race, and she could be a force on the awards circuit.
Samuel L. Jackson, who received a Tony nomination last year for his role as the scene-stealing Doaker Charles, plays a somewhat reduced role in the film version. While the veteran actor has a memorable presence and gets to deliver some one-liners and zingers, it’s his co-star Ray Fisher, playing John David Washington’s friend, who really pops on screen. At Telluride, many attendees praised Fisher’s turn, and as more discover it, his performance could put him in the supporting actor race, which is light on contenders so far. But will it cost Jackson, or can both men make the lineup?
I suspect that Malcolm Washington, making his feature directing debut, will find himself in the Directors Guild of America’s first-time director category. But when it comes to Oscar recognition, that may not be in the cards. The Academy’s Directors Branch often passes over newer faces even if their films are critically beloved, in favor of more established auteurs. That was certainly the case last year with “American Fiction’s” Cord Jefferson, who won the screenplay prize even as he was overlooked for his directing. To get in for “The Piano Lesson,” Netflix will need to emphasize not just Malcolm Washington’s vision, but also the way he blends genres, leaning into the play’s horror-like elements in a way that is reminiscent of Jordan Peele. Please don’t sleep on what he brings to the race.
John David Washington, a near-best actor nominee for Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” (2018), is fearless as Boy Willie, the arrogant and antagonistic brother trying to establish himself in a world where Black men are marginalized and endangered. Unafraid to be unlikable, John David Washington still makes you understand what drives Boy Willie — the prospect of selling the piano, so he can buy his own land and chart his own destiny. He could find himself landing his first Oscar nomination. Fun fact: Washington patriarch Denzel is expected to be in the acting discussion for his upcoming role in “Gladiator II.” Depending on where he chooses to campaign, if the two make the final five for lead actor, it would be the first time a father and a son were nominated for an Oscar in the same category, in the same year.
This is the third film adaptation of one of Wilson’s plays, produced by two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington and his longtime producing partner Todd Black. The duo was nominated for best picture for “Fences” (2016), which Denzel Washington directed. He became the first Black man nominated for producing and acting in the same year. The film won supporting actress for Viola Davis. Their subsequent Wilson adaptation, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” picked up six nominations, including a posthumous nod for Chadwick Boseman in best actor and two wins for costume design and makeup and hairstyling. Much of the criticism of the two adaptations has been that they”feel like a play.” However, in “The Piano Lesson,” Malcolm Washington and his director of photography, Mike Gioulakis, harness a lyrical, swooning aesthetic influenced by Terrence Malick and Emmanuel Lubezki, to create the most cinematic Wilson adaptation yet.
Beyond the performances and the directing, Alexandre Desplat’s haunting score and Leslie Jones’s skilled editing could also be recognized.
“The Piano Lesson” opens in theaters on Nov. 8 before debuting on Netflix streaming on Nov. 22.
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