'The Piano Lesson' traces the legacy of an heirloom piano

Dramatizing August Wilson's 1987 Pulitzer Prize-winning play "The Piano Lesson" takes courage, talent, and an appreciation of the importance of the racist legacy embodied therein. That's the daunting task Malcolm Washington undertakes in his feature-film directorial debut. To his credit, Malcolm clearly understands and probes the intricate, dense import of the title piano with its carved images of enslaved ancestors.

Set during the Great Migration, centered on the revered, inherited piano, the family's and friends' reactions differ in incompatible ways. Boy Willie wants to sell it for, to him, a noble purpose: the dream of owning his own land as a free man, with emphasis on both. His sister, young widow Berniece, cannot fathom such disrespect for the spirits embodied in and carved into this venerated piano. Against this backdrop, events and subplots punctuate that conflict: a potential romance, friends drinking and playing cards, a visit to a lively bar, and, most significantly, the presence of a credibly malevolent ghost that haunts their history. 

Director Malcolm Washington’s adaptation of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” infuses humor as an uplifting complement to the incisive and insightful commentary on racism, family ties, spirituality, and profound but endangered friendships. At the Telluride Film Festival, director Malcolm Washington and his brother John David Washington (Boy Willie) expressed deep admiration for August Wilson and their commitment to honoring his legacy. Their father and producer here, Denzel Washington, shares that reverence as he proved in his stage and film presentations of "Fences." As the cliché goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, for Malcolm achieves a noteworthy cinematic success, through confrontational collisions replete with deeply emotional connections, that landscape inhabited most empathetically and painfully by close family members.  

For Telluride, Malcolm spoke eloquently of the piano as an altar. In addition to John David Washington, the cast includes an ensemble of marvelous actors: Danielle Deadwyler, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Potts, Corey Hawkins, and Ray Fisher, among others. David J. Bomba's production design, Mike Gioulakis' cinematography, Alexandre Desplat's score: all contribute to fashioning a cohesive experience. Occasionally "The Piano Lesson" shows its theatrical pedigree. Nevertheless, the firepower presented here achieves a lasting impact. "The Piano Lesson" is available now and streaming on Netflix.