The Piano Lesson finds Boy Willie Charles (John David Washington) coming with his friend Lymon (Ray Fisher) to visit Willie’s sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) and his uncle Doaker (Samuel L. Jackson) in 1936 Philadelphia. Willie and Lymon have come down with a truck full of watermelons that they plan to sell. Willie, a sharecropper, wants to buy Sutter’s land, where his ancestors worked as slaves. Boy Willie already has one part of the money he needs, while selling the watermelons will get him the second part. The third part of the money he needs, however, he wants to get from selling the family heirloom: the family piano in Berniece’s possession that is decorated with carvings of their enslaved ancestors.
For Boy Willie, the piano represents a way to get out of his family’s struggles and reclaim the land that his ancestors worked so hard on for years that he can finally own and move beyond this heartbreaking past. For Berniece, it’s a reminder of their family’s legacy that she refuses to get rid of, despite Boy Willie’s constant harping and complaining. As Boy Willie attempts to sell this piano and get his land, it soon becomes clear that the ghosts of the past are still around, ready to remind this family of the legacy of the piano.
Malcolm Washington Takes ‘The Piano Lesson’ Off the Stage Effectively
Much of The Piano Lesson’s cast comes from the 2022 Broadway production, which won the Tony for Outstanding Revival of a Play. While John David Washington is quite good here, his performance also does feel like it would be more suitable on the stage, especially whenever he goes on a tear about trying to sell the piano, wherein he often takes on a proud, grandstanding tone. However, Jackson, Fisher, and Michael Potts, who plays Wining Boy Charles, manage to modulate their performances for the screen effectively. Especially in the third act, Fisher makes his quiet character stand out as he finally speaks up about his own wants and desires.
But it’s Deadwyler who truly stuns in The Piano Lesson, and is the only major actor in the film who didn’t play the part on the stage. Deadwyler knows how to use her intensity that is borne out of love to command a scene, as we saw time and time again in her vastly underrated performance in 2022’s Till. While Washington’s Boy Willie tries to show dominance in a room, attempting to show his power and often failing to do so, Deadwyler’s Berniece can demand this sort of power simply with the tone of her voice or a glare that could cut like a knife. Again, in the third act, when The Piano Lesson begins to get into some darker territory, Deadwyler knows how to beautifully make this shift into a more horror-leaning story. With performances like this, Deadwyler continually shows us with each new role that she’s a powerful acting presence that deserves more attention.
Of the recent Wilson adaptations, The Piano Lesson is the film that struggles the most to find its bearings off the stage. Yet Malcolm Washington shows himself to be a capable director, expanding this story in the ways he can while staying true to the source material. This cast also knows how to elevate Wilson’s words beautifully, whether it’s sticking close to a more stagelike performance or bringing new life to this story, as Deadwyler does. The Piano Lesson has its troubles in the adaptation process, yet Washington’s film is a strong installment in the increasingly impressive lineup of Wilson adaptations.
The Piano Lesson may struggle to find its bearings off the stage, but it still manages to present a captivating story, effectively modulated performances, and a strong directorial effort from Malcolm Washington. This film may not be perfect, but it showcases great potential in its future works.
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