The Piano Teacher

[SeperateSelf]

Has anyone heard anything about this flick, or better yet, has anyone seen it. All I've heard is that it's totally fucked up and sick, and it has great performances. It's also getting all kinds of critical praise and won 3 awards at Cannes. I don't know if we will get it here in Louisville, but I would still like to know a little more about it.

[inglourious basterd]

It doesnt really interest me too much. Unless it gets good reviews from Bernadelli, Ebert, and a 3rd reliable source (most likely from a schmoe or two on this board), I will probably dismiss it entirely.

The trailer alone reeks of over-pretention. All I noticed was that there were two obsessive main characters who have freaky sex monkey style (which means that they are all wild, all the time).

Anyone know anything about this film? Since I live in LA, I know that it will be in my area. (I guess that makes me lucky)? Unfortunately, based on what I have seen, other than the film's awards at the Cannes Festival, I didn't really notice anything else working in its favor...

[This message has been edited by psudoazn (edited 04-11-2002).]

[the saw is family]

i'm really looking forward to this film,i think it looks really great the story seems very compelling to me. i hope it comes to my area soon. also psudoazn ebert reviewed it on the t.v. show this weekend and gave it thumbs,he seemed to really like it.

[the saw is family]

thats suppoed to say thumbs up.

[max]

Sex, violence, the great Isabelle Huppert - what more can I want? I'm there on opening day.

[idealdiscountdude]

I heard in a review that the female lead mutilates her crotch in the film........all I can say is EWWWWWWWWWWWWW....that is some sick shit!

[SeperateSelf]

Just in case anyone's still interested, I managed to catch this movie at the theater today. All I can say is... this one is *very* hard to watch. There are three main characters and none of them are anything close to normal. It's probably the harshest movie experience that I've ever had. It has some sad and disturbing scenes like

***SPOILERS***


Isabelle Huppert mutilating her vagina with a razorblade, then later being raped by the only man she's ever cared for. She was on the verge of being normal I thought, but that creep just pushed her back over the edge. The saddest scene came after Walter left Erika after he found out what she wanted to do, and then she got in bed with her mother and kissed and humped her saying "I love you!"

Man that got to me.

***END SPOILERS***

It was an extremely interesting movie, and the direction was very minimalist and subtle. And the acting was just incredible. However, it did draw itself out a bit too much and ran for too long. It also just kinda ended, but I understand the significance of the final scene.

Watch this if you want a fascinating look at sexual depravity and insanity. It's not for the weak of heart though.

8/10

[Fergus]

This opened over here last weekend, and I saw it today expecting a disturbing film from a few of the reviews I read. And indeed it was pretty darn disturbing, but I still feel like everyone was exaggerating just a bit, but I still think this was a mesmerizing film. Huppert's performance was understated, but ballsy, and I admire her as an actress even if this is the first film I've watched starring her. The scene you mentioned SeparateSelf had the same effect on me, like getting shot in the eye with a paintball (okay, not that bad but still...). Her decent into dementia is unsettling, even if it is more internal than external.

*****SPOILERS******

The scene where she is raped got to me, as well as the scene with her mother, that was a bit of a shock. When Huppert cut herself, reminded me all too vividly of Ingmar Bergman's "Cries and Whispers", where one of the women does the same exact thing, and that was in 1972!

*****END SPOILERS****

I did have a couple little quibs. While the film wasn't very slow at all, I felt it did take its time to get going, and I really don't get the significance of the ending, even though I have an idea of its purpose. But to tell the truth, it left me hanging, and quite a bit surprised it had ended already.

If possible SeparateSelf, what did you get from the ending, what was your understanding of its supposed "significance"?

All in all, a solid (8/10), and the most disturbing movie of the year.