L’accordeur (The Piano Tuner) - Critical Analysis
L’accordeur (The Piano Tuner) - Critical Analysis
Cinema, just like literature, has been a medium of expression of the shades of humanness. It touches upon so many aspects and yet so much is left to still explore. A big chunk of this exploration is done via experimental, art and short films. Such films might not do great commercially, but they do sow a seed that branches into greater ideas.
One such underrated, rather unknown film is, L'accordeur (The Piano Tuner). It is a 2010 French thriller, produced by 24 25 Films and directed by Oliver Treiner. It starts Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Danièle Lebrun and Grégory Gadebois. With a runtime of only 13 minutes, this movie delivers one of the best thrilling experiences. Following the story of Adrien, the blind piano tuner, the film progresses as he narrates his journey from being a prodigy who had his eyes on the Brienstein prize and how his life took a sharp left when he failed at it and turned to being a piano tuner instead.
Adrien feels his life in shambles when he couldn’t get the prize he’s been eyeing all his life. He finds it difficult to start playing again. Believing in the philosophy that pain makes humans more sensitive, he experiments with his vision, uses artificial lenses, and turns into a blind piano tuner. His clients seem to appreciate his work and have great sympathies for him. He believes he is getting more this way than he could have otherwise. This trick also helps his personal intrigue of observing and knowing a little more about his clients through his facade of lack of vision. It all seems to be working in his favour, until the day he turns up at one of his client’s doors, only to witness a murder site. This is where the dilemma sprouts. He can see everything but not react. He is blind for the murderer, he can’t know what is happening. He finds himself stuck in a tricky situation where any of his actions could land him in big trouble. He must keep playing, that is his only way to survive. The ending of the film is open to interpretation.
The technical aspects of a film play a key role in supporting the whole narrative, which in this case has been paid keen attention to. The lighting of the entire film has been rather dim, ensuring the uneasiness required for a building thriller, persists. The music of the film plays a key role in filling the pockets in between the narrations. It starts off with a soft music that grows intense with every passing second, gradually building up the suspense. The camera work is quite swift between the shots. The narrating voice has been kept to a hush to sound like the little voice in the protagonist’s head.
This 8.0/10 IMDb rated film also served as an inspiration for the 2018 Bollywood commercial success, Andhadhun directed by Sriram Raghavan, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Radhika Apte and Tabu.
Cinema, just like literature, has been a medium of expression of the shades of humanness. It touches upon so many aspects and yet so much is left to still explore. A big chunk of this exploration is done via experimental, art and short films. Such films might not do great commercially, but they do sow a seed that branches into greater ideas.
One such underrated, rather unknown film is, L'accordeur (The Piano Tuner). It is a 2010 French thriller, produced by 24 25 Films and directed by Oliver Treiner. It starts Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Danièle Lebrun and Grégory Gadebois. With a runtime of only 13 minutes, this movie delivers one of the best thrilling experiences. Following the story of Adrien, the blind piano tuner, the film progresses as he narrates his journey from being a prodigy who had his eyes on the Brienstein prize and how his life took a sharp left when he failed at it and turned to being a piano tuner instead.
Adrien feels his life in shambles when he couldn’t get the prize he’s been eyeing all his life. He finds it difficult to start playing again. Believing in the philosophy that pain makes humans more sensitive, he experiments with his vision, uses artificial lenses, and turns into a blind piano tuner. His clients seem to appreciate his work and have great sympathies for him. He believes he is getting more this way than he could have otherwise. This trick also helps his personal intrigue of observing and knowing a little more about his clients through his facade of lack of vision. It all seems to be working in his favour, until the day he turns up at one of his client’s doors, only to witness a murder site. This is where the dilemma sprouts. He can see everything but not react. He is blind for the murderer, he can’t know what is happening. He finds himself stuck in a tricky situation where any of his actions could land him in big trouble. He must keep playing, that is his only way to survive. The ending of the film is open to interpretation.
The technical aspects of a film play a key role in supporting the whole narrative, which in this case has been paid keen attention to. The lighting of the entire film has been rather dim, ensuring the uneasiness required for a building thriller, persists. The music of the film plays a key role in filling the pockets in between the narrations. It starts off with a soft music that grows intense with every passing second, gradually building up the suspense. The camera work is quite swift between the shots. The narrating voice has been kept to a hush to sound like the little voice in the protagonist’s head.
This 8.0/10 IMDb rated film also served as an inspiration for the 2018 Bollywood commercial success, Andhadhun directed by Sriram Raghavan, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Radhika Apte and Tabu.
Written By
Mahvish Fatima
Indeed.. movie is a perfect example for inspiration and remake..
ReplyDeleteP.S. nicely reviewed 🙌
Nicely done , it really gives a glimpse of the movie.
ReplyDeleteWow... beautifully penned!!
ReplyDeleteKudos to your work..👉👌👏👏👏👏👏
ReplyDeleteWell explained 💯💯🤟
ReplyDeleteperfectly written .... looking forward to more from you :)
ReplyDelete