The Piano Lesson

Matt Roush says...

Ghosts of a troubled past haunt a Black family’s legacy in a powerful film adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Piano Lesson. Samuel L. Jackson (who originated the role of Boy Willie in the 1987 pre-Broadway production), John David Washington, Ray Fisher, and Michael Potts recreate their roles from the Tony-nominated 2022-23 Broadway revival. First-time feature director Malcolm Washington (son of Denzel, brother of John David) helms the drama, set in the Pittsburgh home of the Charles family, depicting a battle of wills between Boy Willie (Washington), who’s arrived from the South, and sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler). He wants to sell the family’s heirloom piano, featuring carvings that reflect their enslaved past, to purchase land on which their ancestors worked. Berniece is just as determined to hold onto the instrument that symbolizes the family’s survival.

What's Worth Watching (Nov 22)