Set in 1936 during the aftermath of the Great Depression, The Piano Lesson follows the lives of the Charles family, and the battle at the centre of their household around the family's historic piano. On one side, a brother plans to build the family fortune by selling it, and on the other, a sister will go to any lengths to hold on to the family’s heritage.
The piano holds carvings made by their enslaved ancestor that document the family's history, and when the ghosts of their past confront the family's present, the piano may be the one thing that finally unites them.
An adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the film is a tale of family values and relationships – and how our past informs our present – with the film's production also being a family affair; executive produced by Denzel Washington (who has starred in two films previously based on August Wilson's work), directed by his youngest son Malcolm Washington, and starring eldest son John David Washington (Tenet, BlacKkKlansman, The Creator) alongside Samuel L Jackson, Danielle Deadwyler (Till, The Harder They Fall) and Erykah Badu.
- Words by
- Joe Harris
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