A Somewhat Aimless Drama with Awesome Character Depth and Performances
The last August Wilson play to be adapted was when Denzel Washington directed and starred in “Fences,” back in 2016, which FINALLY won Viola Davis an Oscar. Unfortunately for me, though, I found that movie, while INSANELY well acted, pretty boring and unanchored.
“The Piano Lesson,” directed by one of Denzel’s sons, Malcolm, and starring another, John David, somewhat suffers from the same issues. It’s talky, of course, as movies based on plays go, and while ya boy doesn’t mind talky, some of the conversations are a little wandering and tangential, where the movies absence of a substantial plot is exposed pretty nakedly. Because of this, the movie is a bit of a tonal rollercoaster, going from enthralling one minute to sorta sleepy to somewhat scary to searing and intense.
BUT, having said that, Washington’s movie is populated by characters who are three dimensional and real, embodied by legit one of the best casts of the year. Samuel L. Jackson, Corey Hawkins, and Ray Fisher are all awesome as some great supporting characters, but the movie really belongs to the aforementioned John David Washington, as the passionate Boy Willie, and Danielle Deadwyler, as his mournful and wounded yet powerful sister, Berniece. Deadwyler is especially incredible, building off her awe inspiring performance in 2022’s “Till.”
The conflict between these two, and what they want to do with their passed father's piano, is a simple one that is vitally tied to their family’s history, and evokes some mighty questions around legacy, grudges, grief, and maintaining the high ground against oppressors. When is it right to stop mourning? To take action? When is it better to not take action at all, and merely accept? Some heady questions, questions that make “The Piano Lesson”, along with its banger ensemble, worth a watch.