Review: ‘The Piano Lesson’ is a triumphant adaptation of August Wilson’s play about legacy

Malcolm Washington’s directorial debut in The Piano Lesson stresses the importance of legacy not just in the text of the film but in everything around it. This is a family affair: Malcolm and star John David Washington are both the sons of acclaimed actor Denzel Washington (here producing). The idea of legacy permeates through every frame and the pain endured by one family in the ’30s has endured.

The central conflict arises when Boy Willie (John David Washington) and his friend Lymon (Ray Fisher) travel to Pittsburgh to visit the former’s sister, Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler). Boy Willie plans to buy a farm their ancestors had toiled on as slaves. He wants to sell the family’s piano which, in addition to fetching a good price, is also anointed with the blood and tears of the Charles lineage.

While the family was enslaved, the Charles’ great-grandfather carved a piano that represented each member. The Charles family’s history is paramount to The Piano Lesson, represented by the piano itself. Boy Willie wants to sell the piano so he can make something of himself while Berniece can’t bear to part with something so tied to their ancestry.

There’s been many adaptations of August Wilson’s plays, but The Piano Lesson is by far the most cinematic. The playwright behind such works as Fences was intent on showing generational trauma and the strength of his main female character. This is heightened by Washington’s direction, any time the piano moves, be it in the past or present, the camera moves with it, a sleek movement that becomes the film’s signature.

Deadwyler in particular dominates audiences’ attention, as she well should given her recent powerhouse performance as Miranda in Station Eleven. Berniece’s character arc stems from the men in her house telling her who and how she should love. She naturally resists anyone trying to tell her how to live her life, but is also impervious to moving forward. The pain in the piano directly translates to the pain her mother felt when her father died. Berniece cannot let the piano go, nor can she play it.

Of course, The Piano Lesson cannot be discussed without the MVP, Samuel L. Jackson. The celebrated actor played Boy Willie in the stage premiere at the Yale Repertory Theater in 1987 and starred alongside Washington in the 2022 revival. His presence in the film as Uncle Doaker is powerful and further expands on the idea of legacy. The character carries with him the trauma of the family line, guilt over his brother dying, and the Black male experience, evident in the best scene in the film when he, Wining Boy (Michael Potts), Boy Willie, and Lymon sing a prison work song from their time on Parchman Farm. It’s a song of solidarity but when it ends, the audience is left with the weight of grief and pain.

Music in the film travels a long way. Like the song, the piano also represents remembering the past and trying to find a way to forage ahead. This is further complicated by the ghost of the now-dead Sutter (who wants his piano back) with these unexpected supernatural elements dovetailing nicely with the themes of historic legacy. A ghost could potentially be a distraction, but The Piano Lesson‘s exploration of generational trauma provides fertile ground for the supernatural.

The final act is somewhat rushed, but that in itself also supports the film’s thesis. This family needs to resolve this friction and they will do anything — including dispelling ghosts — to find a way through. Ultimately, the story is about love and honoring a legacy. Wilson’s work finds a foothold in cinema in a stunning debut by Malcolm Washington and the moving performances from all the actors. The Piano Lesson is now streaming on Netflix.