4,630 Reviews ● 1,344 Films/Shows ● 59 Top Critics
37 Languages ● And Growing!

Poster of the film The Piano Lesson

The Piano Lesson

Drama Music Horror English


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.

Cast:John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Corey Hawkins, Gail Bean, Jerrika Hinton, Stephan James, Skylar Aleece Smith, Erykah Badu
Director:Malcolm Washington
Editor:Leslie Jones
Camera:Mike Gioulakis

All Guild Reviews of "The Piano Lesson"

Image of scene from the film The Piano Lesson

Near-Perfect Netflix Drama Finds John David Washington in Incendiary Form

Fox in morning light

Rohan Naahar | Independent Film Critic

Thu, December 19 2024

Starring John David Washington and directed by his brother, Malcolm, the new Netflix movie is a tightly-wound drama about sibling bonds, inherited trauma, and the horrors of the past.

It is easy, one would imagine, for a filmmaker to be overwhelmed by the words of the great August Wilson. Especially if they’ve never made a film before. Musical and marauding, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright’s language is a vessel for the ambition and anger of his people. Netflix’s The Piano Lesson — the latest adaptation of Wilson’s celebrated Pittsburgh Cycle of plays — is directed by the debutante Malcolm Washington, whose father, the legendary Denzel Washington, has publicly devoted this stage of his career to shepherding Wilson’s work onto the screen.

Continue reading …

Latest Reviews

Image of scene from the film Ramayana: Rise of a Legend
FCG Rating for the film Ramayana: Rise of a Legend: 68/100
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend

Fantasy, Action, Adventure (Hindi)

An ancient epic follows a young prince and princess whose marriage and subsequent exile mark the… (more)

Image of scene from the film Pyre
FCG Rating for the film Pyre: 71/100
Pyre

Drama (Hindi)

In the Himalayan Mountain range, a rural village loses its inhabitants to the city’s allure while… (more)

Image of scene from the film Nocturne
Nocturne

Crime, Drama, Mystery (English)

When a victim of notorious serial killer Jurek Walter unexpectedly turns up alive, detective Jonah Lynn… (more)

Image of scene from the film Akka
FCG Rating for the film Akka: 49/100
Akka

Drama, Crime (Tamil)

In a kingdom ruled by women, matriarch Bhavani faces her biggest threat in Rudra, a ruthless… (more)