Strong visuals, symbolism strengthen a feminist narrative

Rating: 8/10 (14 August 2010)

Jane Campion's film The Piano is about Ada, a strong willed woman who stops talking to prove a point for so long that she loses the ability to speak at all. Instead, she expresses herself through sign language and also by playing the piano. As the film opens she is arriving in New Zealand with her adolescent daughter for an arranged marriage with a man she's never met. The man isn't prepared to move the piano she has brought with her from Scotland so it gets left on the beach; the man cares so little for his wife's wishes concerning the instrument that it remains there until she talks to Baines, the only other white man in town, into taking her back to play it and he's so entranced with her playing that he develops a strong lust for her. This causes him to trade some land to her husband for the piano. She's allowed to play the piano regularly but only at Baines' house. Gradually she begins to form a relationship with him as she remains aloof around her husband and the other puritanical whites of the neighborhood. Naturally, conflict arises from there.
There's a lot of subtext going on in this film; I mean here's a woman in the 19th century that doesn't have a voice, apparently because she realized that what she was saying wasn't going to get here anywhere. She chooses instead to communicate to the world via an artistic medium that also becomes tied up with her sexuality to such a degree that she uses part of it to symbolize her heart. There's also some commentary about society in general at the time as the rigid morality of the whites seems close to destroying the mute protagonist throughout the film while the more liberal natives seem much more sensible and even prosperous. Baines, the one white person who truly has become integrated into native society, seems much more successful and certainly much more able to form a connection with another person, although even his avenue of approach to Ada is less considerate than it should be.
So this is a film with a love triangle plot tied into criticisms of the repressive, patriarchal society of the time. This isn't anything particularly wonderful in itself but Campion's style takes what could have been tepid and heavy handed material and breathes some life into it. The visuals here range from impressive to unforgettable and the music always complements the action. The Piano also pulls off a truly excellent ending thanks to the haunting final shot.