The most grown-up film without being depressing

Rating: Null/10 (27 September 2011)

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the Piano. I believe that there is a movie somewhere out there that suits every person's personality. I found it with the Piano and I believe many others will too.
Quiet and hypnotic but at the same time bubbling over with emotion, eroticism and atmosphere, it is as un-Hollywood as a film can get - the plot is insignificant, it only sets up the atmosphere. There is not a hint of Jane Austen in this. It's all Wuthering Heights mixed with Jane Eyre mixed with Lady Chatterfly's Lover on the background of Dances with Wolves.
The eroticism in the film is the most frank, mature and realistic I've seen. At the beginning of "The bargain", I expected to be disgusted. Instead, I was pulled into elaborate, prolonged foreplay, every moment of which and the outcome is erotic. Makes you think of just how immature Hollywood's approach to sexuality is in comparison.
The film is almost perfect. My only criticisms are the violent incident at the end which is utterly out of character both for the film's tone and the character which commits the action. The second is that George's disinterest in Maori women who throw themselves at him just seems a little convenient.
While I'm not completely convinced Anna Paquin deserved the Oscar, she was remarkable in this - instead of being cute, she was plucky and brought energy to every scene.