--- title: "The Piano Teacher: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-piano-teacher/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-piano-teacher" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Piano Teacher (2001): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 12 reviews: 8 positive, 2 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics respond positively to The Piano Teacher, though even favourable reviews describe it as disturbing and difficult to watch. Praise centres on Isabelle Huppert: her precision, fierce restraint and vulnerability make Erika compelling, often even for critics who dislike the film around her. Haneke’s refusal of easy explanations also earns approval, with several reviews finding emotional force in his detached treatment of obsessive control and degradation. The spread is wide, and the disagreements concern how much that severity achieves. Sympathetic critics sometimes find the provocations tiresome or the extremity exhausting, while others argue that the emotional rawness outweighs the calculation. Variety praises Huppert but finds the film increasingly ludicrous and short of climactic tension. The Guardian is more dismissive, finding it dull and unintentionally comic: a sharp contrast with the majority’s view that its discomfort serves a compelling study of its central character. ## Time Out — GA Rating 5/5. The publication gives the film its top rating. The description notes its comparatively conventional shooting, editing and performances, though the full review text is unavailable. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-piano-teacher) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 2017. Chang regards the film as a major achievement and Huppert’s finest performance for Haneke. He singles out her fearless, terrifying portrayal and the film’s riveting portrait of obsessive control. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-critics-choice-20170920-story.html) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 March 2002. Denby considers the film a shocking, beautifully made achievement that deserves a wide audience. He especially praises Isabelle Huppert’s precise, fiercely contained performance as Erika. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/04/01/play-it-again-2) ## Empire — Alan Morrison Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Morrison finds the film emotionally devastating and praises Haneke for refusing easy explanations. He singles out Isabelle Huppert’s performance as astonishing and one of the year’s standouts. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/piano-teacher-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Clayton Dillard Rating 4/5. 2 October 2017. Dillard regards the film as a calculated, often torturous work, but finds its provocations can become tiresome and equivocal. He singles out Isabelle Huppert’s performance as a defining achievement, now especially vivid on the Criterion Blu-ray. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-piano-teacher-bd/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2002. The critic finds the film horrific and devastating, with its emotional rawness outweighing its mechanized violence and degradation. He especially praises Isabelle Huppert’s precise, vulnerable performance and the ambiguity that emerges as the central relationship develops. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-piano-teacher-1798195975) ## The New York Times — A. O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2002. The critic finds the film disturbing but compelling. He singles out Isabelle Huppert’s performance as a central strength. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/29/movies/film-review-kinky-and-cruel-goings-on-in-the-conservatory.html) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic finds the film powerful and worth seeing, though its extremity eventually becomes exhausting. Isabelle Huppert’s compelling, expressionless performance is praised, while the male lead’s underdeveloped character is criticized. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/perverted-passions-of-a-pianist-7433081.html) ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 3/5. The critic presents the film as grim and disturbing. They single out its indictment of modern Austria and its study of women’s struggle for cultural identity. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-m3qo00/the-piano-teacher/) ## Variety — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 2001. Festival review. Rooney finds the film initially compelling but says it unravels into ludicrousness and lacks climactic tension. He singles out Isabelle Huppert’s fiercely compelling performance for praise. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/the-piano-teacher-isabelle-huppert-1200468276/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 11 November 2001. The critic finds the film dull, limited and often unintentionally hilarious. They single out its exposure of private sexual fantasies as desperately sad and comic. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2001/nov/11/features.review47) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2001. The review finds the film difficult to watch but praises Haneke’s detached, uncompromising approach. It singles out the exceptional honesty of Isabelle Huppert and Annie Girardot’s performances. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-piano-teacher-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-piano-teacher.md