Bonus Review: The Piano Lesson

Blood Is A Chord That Resonates Through Time

---

---

INTRODUCTION

This is a quick review of the newly released film The Piano Lesson. Keep in mind this is but one of the many movies I watch every year, and that whatever initial grade I come up for this film could change for better or worse with time. To better keep up to date with both my thoughts on other movies and if my feelings on this film changed, follow me on Letterboxd.

I’d also appreciate it greatly if you spread the word about the newsletter to any family or friends who would love to have film reviews, classic movie lists, and Oscars projections delivered straight to their inbox.

---

THE PLOT

Via Letterboxd: A brother and sister’s battle over a prized heirloom piano unleashes haunting truths about how the past is perceived - and who defines a family legacy.

---

QUICK REVIEW

Over the past eight years, Denzel Washington and family have made it their mission to bring August Wilson’s plays to the big screen. So far, if you ask me, their efforts have been remarkably successful. Both Fences (2016) and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) were widely regarded as some of the most significant and impactful films of their respective years - and some of my own personal favorites from those years as well. Now, in 2024, they present The Piano Lesson, directed by Denzel’s son, Malcolm Washington, and starring his other son, John David Washington, in the lead role.