Overview
A silent woman's struggle for love and identity unfolds against the backdrop of 19th century New Zealand.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- sensual
- melancholic
- quiet evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded Jane Campion's visually evocative and psychologically intense romance as an exceptionally original, haunting work powered by Holly Hunter's performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ada's virtuoso piano playing communicates emotions she cannot express through speech and becomes central to her autonomy.
Ada's arranged marriage and dependence on male settlers unfold within the settler society of nineteenth-century New Zealand.
The rugged coast, dense forests, rain, and mud mirror the characters' isolation, repression, and volatile desire.
George offers Ada a path to reclaim her piano through lessons governed by increasingly intimate conditions.
Films like The Piano, and why
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
shares a visually lyrical period romance shaped by sexual repression, social constraint, and a woman's struggle for autonomy
The Handmaiden
shares colonial-era interpersonal tension, forbidden desire, and psychologically intense female-centered melodrama
Bright Star
shares an atmospheric historical romance in which marriage, class, and erotic longing collide
The Power of the Dog
shares Jane Campion's brooding, psychologically intimate treatment of desire, isolation, and gendered power
Movie Details
- Director
- Jane Campion
- Release Date
- 1993-05-18
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (1696)
Cast
- Holly Hunter
- Harvey Keitel
- Sam Neill
- Anna Paquin
- Cliff Curtis
- Kerry Walker
- Ian Mune
- Geneviève Lemon
- Pete Smith
- Bruce Allpress
Common questions
- What is The Piano about?
- A mute Scottish pianist's cherished instrument becomes the currency of an emotionally dangerous struggle for autonomy and forbidden desire in colonial New Zealand.
- What is The Piano like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Piano as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Piano violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Piano as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Piano?
- Critics broadly regarded Jane Campion's visually evocative and psychologically intense romance as an exceptionally original, haunting work powered by Holly Hunter's performance.
- Which films are like The Piano?
- Films with a similar feel include Portrait of a Lady on Fire, The Handmaiden, Bright Star, and The Power of the Dog.
- How long is The Piano?
- The Piano runs 120 minutes.
