The Piano (1993)
The Piano (1993) 6/10
I did not particularly enjoy the film. I found the plot trite and predictable and the characters aloof and distant. But the performances, that is another thing. The film features some fantastic acting and Holly Hunter puts in one of her best performance ever, for which she was rewarded with a Best Actress Oscar, and deservedly so. But it is the young Anna Paquin who deserves a special mention for her tour de force performance that arguably ranks as one of the finest performances ever by a child actor (alongside Haley Joel Osment for The Sixth Sense). At the young age of 11, Paquin won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as the precocious daughter in The Piano and it is a thoroughly deserving win. While i did not like the film very much, Paquin manages to steal almost every scene she is in, even alongside veterans like Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel or Sam Neil. Although much attention was given to Hunter for her strong performance, it is in fact Paquin that lights up the film.
This is one of the films where i wasn’t impressed by the plot, but is saved by an excellent cast and phenomenal acting by both Hunter and Paquin. The male characters fare much more poorly and seem to be set up as one dimensional plot points, but given the restrictions of the role, Harvey Keitel and Sam Neil give passable performances. While this is probably too artsy for the mainstream, cinetastes will do well to seek out this film, if only for the memorable performances of both Hunter and Paquin.
