By John Corrado

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5th to 15th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

Denzel Washington continues to help shepherd August Wilson’s stage plays to the screen with The Piano Lesson, this time producing the film while his youngest son Malcolm Washington takes over directing duties, and older son John David Washington stars in the movie. And it’s another strong, well-acted adaptation of Wilson’s work.

The screenplay by Virgil Williams and Malcolm Washington is specifically adapted from the 2022 Broadway revival of Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, with many of the cast members reprising their roles. The story, which is set in Pittsburgh in 1936, centres around the rivalry between siblings Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) and Boy Willie (John David Washington).

The two are feuding over selling a family heirloom; an old upright piano, adorned with carvings of their ancestors. Boy Willie wants to sell it and use the money to buy a plot of farm land, while Berniece wants it to stay in the family, despite its dark history. The majority of the story unfolds in the home of their uncle Doaker Charles (Samuel L. Jackson), who tries to act as mediator between the tense sibling feud.

Like Denzel Washington’s previous two Wilson adaptations Fences (which he also directed and starred in) and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (which he produced), The Piano Lesson can feel a little stagey in its construction. The film takes a bit to get going and move past this inherent staginess in the first act, but it’s anchored by solid performances from the ensemble cast.

Washington and Deadwyler do a fine, believable job capturing a tense sibling relationship; Deadwyler in particular leaves it all on the table, portraying a sister fiercely holding her ground. Jackson defines the movie with a monologue partway through, revealing the tragic backstory and familiar significance of the piano. There is a lot of thematically rich material here, so it’s no wonder that actors of this calibre want to keep biting into Wilson’s work.

There is an eery, supernatural ghost story element to Wilson’s The Piano Lesson as well, that Malcolm Washington fully embraces in his adaptation, including through the cinematography by Mike Gioulakis (Us, It Follows). The film builds to a last act that is designed to bring the house down.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

Public Screenings: Tuesday, September 10th, 6:00 PM at Princess of Wales; Wednesday, September 11th, 8:15 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre; Friday, September 13th, 9:00 PM at Princess of Wales; Sunday, September 15th, 9:00 AM at TIFF Lightbox