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Good start, but then it gets ruined

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Michael Haneke has a knack for creating odd or even disturbing scenes or characters out of the most mundane situations and this is on full display in The Piano Teacher. Anchored by Issabelle Huppert, a very competent support cast who hold their own and wonderful classical music (Schubert's iconic piano number from Barry Lyndon makes a return among other melodious pieces) this film explores the dark recesses of Erika's mind, her struggle with loneliness and her unconventional desires. Erika is forty years old and lives with her domineering and controlling mother. She is an overtly strict, harsh piano teacher but behind this persona lies a vulnerable woman who is so sexually repressed that it has given rise to her odd and unconventional sexual needs. Erika's sexual desires are perhaps the weirdest I have ever seen in film, she's into BDSM, humiliation, voyeurism and even self mutilation, she's definitely a very perverse character which is brought up later on as well. Through all this, we can often lose sight of the fact that even Erika longs for and deserves happiness but she will go about it her own self destructive way. When a new far younger student Walter enters her life she tries to push him away but they eventually start a romance. Walter wants to have a traditional romantic relationship but Erika wants her needs fulfilled by a session of rape and humiliation, it's interesting that she desires the pain and humiliation when she inflicts the same on her students, her desire to be on the receiving side of these emotions makes the viewer always trying to decipher Erika, what's really going on in her head?

This is my second experience with a film by Haneke, We have an incredibly intense, repressed character, played by Isabel Huppert. She lives with her mother and they involve themselves in a love/hate relationship. As a piano teacher she is a cruel taskmaster. It is obvious that she is sought after despite her almost sadistic vent. When she is not at work she visits a sex shop and watches pornography. She also goes to drive-in movies and peeks into cars at couples having sex. She is likewise, self-abusive. She is not unlike a fascist state in her demeanor. She meets a young, incredibly talented piano student who wants to be in her master class. There is sexual tension here. He begins to lust after her. She is cold but attractive, although at times her very being seems somewhat beyond her years. He really loves her and we know that somehow these two will meet in some way. He plays hockey and there is a kind of male testosterone thing going on. She has a stilted view of sexuality. He has the more traditional view, being on the make and wanting things to be consensual. This movie contains some of the sickest scenes I've seen. There is one scene in a public toilet where things get quite deranged. I have couple more Haneke films to see soon. They are certainly thought provoking.

I suppose there are some who will watch this film and, being naïve, will be shocked by the sado-masochistic nature of the relationships it depicts into reaching for fanciful explanations of the story. If so, this would do no more than betray their lack of familiarity with those unusual, but not particularly rare, traits.To be clear; this is not the greatly symbolic film some ill-conceived reviews would have you believe. Instead, it's a fairly straightforward effort about a person with masochistic tendencies. Other than the fact that this person lives with her domineering, wheedling mother, we are told nothing of the life that led her to develop these tendencies, so we are left simply to observe the consequences of her having them. Those consequences range from somewhat interesting, particularly in the first part of the film, to mildly disturbing.The saving grace of the film is Isabelle Huppert's performance as Erika Kohut, ably supported by Annie Girardot as her mother. Unfortunately, the role of Walter Klemmer, unconvincingly written as it is, cannot be saved by Benoît Magimel and constitutes the film's major defect.If you're looking for some metaphysical profundity about the human condition or a cutting allegory about society, look elsewhere. This is a sometimes clumsy depiction of masochism and particularly of sadism partially, but not wholly redeemed, by some fine acting.

"The Piano Teacher" is a 1983 novel by Elfriede Jelinek, that has been adapted for the screen by Michael Haneke. I've never read the original source material, but through reading a plot summary it seems Mr. Haneke hits a majority of the themes and scenarios represented. Michael Haneke has a certain approach to characters in his movies that I've come to respect a great deal. Aside from shooting his works effortlessly, he has always depicted his characters in a way as to never manipulate the audience, but allow their actions and mannerisms remain open to interpretation for each individual. This allows for less formulaic performances, and a story like "The Piano Teacher" can benefit greatly with this approach.Erika Kohut (Isabelle Huppert), is a piano professor at a prestigious music conservatory. Already in her forties, she still lives in an apartment with her domineering mother (Annie Girardot), leading to much frustration between the pair. Eventually Erika meets Walter Klemmer (Benoit Magimel), a 17 year old engineering student and eventually both develop an obsession with each other. Even though she initially tries to sever contact between them, his persistence eventually leads to his discovery of her personal and quite frank voyeurism.For as challenging as the film may get, it never begins to become tedious. Granted for a 2 hour picture the story feels a little stretched, yet it's Haneke's camera work and Huppert's fantastic performance that makes this all so highly engaging and unique. The music is implemented while forged extraordinarily well, and the levels of S&M can become extremely uncomfortable towards the third act, which finally made me realised why so many reviews I've read said it became "unpleasant" viewing. Regardless, it all leads to a stunning conclusion and I highly recommend this movie. If we can live in a time where fan-fiction like "Fifty Shades of Grey" sells millions, then "The Piano Teacher" is in a league of its own and should be praised and held in a much higher regard. Final Verdict: Isabelle Huppert made the movie for me. She really transcends what could've been expected, and my predicaments towards the stories conclusion were consistently altered. 9/10.