The Piano Teacher
A twisted tale of repressed desire, psychosexual drama La Pianiste examines the deeply rooted issues of middle-aged piano tutor Erika, who regularly indulges in sexual self-mutilation, voyeurism and various other fetishes. Simultaneously rejecting and obsessing over the advances of a young male student named Walter, the film climaxes when she finally acquiesces and lets him beat and rape her, only to find that the reality of her desires does not match her conception of them. Strangely, in such a difficult watch, the toughest scene is the relatively tame close. Asked to fill in for a female companion of Walter (whom she jealously sabotaged) at a prestigious concert, Erika stabs herself in the shoulder and leaves. Though her injury doesn’t appear that severe, Haneke gravely implies that further self-harm will ensue.
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