The Piano Teacher

9/25/2025

There are some fairly unnerving strands in this drama that make for uncomfortable viewing at times. “Erika” (Isabelle Huppert) is a rather uncharismatic music professor, still living and sleeping with her mother (Annie Girardot) who finds herself being pursued by the handsome young pianist “Walter“ (Benoît Magimel). Ostensibly, he wants her to guide him through the vagaries of Schubert, but is clearly much more fascinated with her than with her prowess as a teacher. Initially, she dislikes him. She considers she has little to teach this confident, borderline arrogant, young man but he persists. Meantime, we learn a little of this woman’s own personality, of her compromised self-esteem, peccadilloes, and of her innate sexual frustrations so whilst some of what comes next is shocking, it’s n