The Piano Lesson, review

The Piano Lesson

UK release: 8 November 2024

Director: Malcolm Washington

****

Review by Orhan Algar

Malcolm Washington impresses in his directorial debut with The Piano Lesson, a film ingrained with themes of family legacy all the way from the Brown family’s story to the Washington family presence in the production. The complicated history behind the formerly enslaved Brown family’s piano and their struggle over it, makes for a fascinating drama. John David Washington and Danielle Deadwyler put in notable performances as the siblings Boy Willie and Berniece Brown, while Samuel L. Jackson is his ever excellent and witty self.