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Poster for The Piano Teacher

The Piano Teacher

Seen it?

2001 | 131 min | Drama, Romance

Saturday Special

Why it’s a Saturday Special

It earned strong reviews (74% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it's still drawing plenty of interest, despite a box office flop. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for romantics. If you loved The French Lieutenant's Woman, start here.
The mood
Warm and romantic.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 11 min.
What might put you off
  • Rated R: expect sex.
  • It's in French, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

Erika Kohut, a sexually repressed piano teacher living with her domineering mother, meets a young man who starts romantically pursuing her.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsStrong

    74% on Rotten Tomatoes, 79 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesSolid

    7.3 out of 10

  • AwardsSolid

    Won 3 Cannes awards: Cannes Film Festival: Best Film Not in the English Language, Cannes Film Festival: Best Actor, Cannes Film Festival: Best Actress. Also nominated for 1 BAFTA and 1 Independent Spirit Award. Plus 3 other awards.

  • Box office & staying powerWeak

    $7 million worldwide on a $6 million budget

  • Buzz & cultural impactStrong

    About 493K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Michael Haneke

  • Isabelle HuppertErika Kohut
  • Annie GirardotErika's Mother
  • Benoît MagimelWalter Klemmer
  • Susanne LotharMme Schober
  • Udo SamelDr. George Blonskij
  • Anna SigalevitchAnna Schober
  • Cornelia KöndgenMme Gerda Blonskij
  • Thomas WeinhappelBaritone
  • Georg FriedrichL'homme en voiture
  • Philipp HeissNaprawnik