Malcolm Washington’s directorial debut on Netflix, The Piano Lesson, is ‘much bigger than just an American story’ as another August Wilson story arrives on the big screen.
The 33-year-old’s journey to becoming a first-time filmmaker happened almost without him noticing after he came across the playwright Wilson’s work which ‘sparked something inside him’.
The late prolific writer is renowned for his 20th-century social commentary which burnished him as the ‘theatre’s poet of Black America’ by the New York Times upon his death in 2005.
Most especially his collection of 10 plays, called The Pittsburgh Cycle, remain cultural classics in documenting the experiences of the African-American community during this time period – including The Piano Lesson.
He told Metro: ‘I just needed to reconcile with parts of myself that The Piano Lesson play was engaging in.
‘It really started more organically like that, where I was just in that state of “I need to deal with these things” and that ultimately turned into the work of making the film itself.
‘From when he wrote [The Piano Lesson] 35 years ago, [he was] speaking to parts of myself in the present that needed to hear what he was saying.
‘So it was more the power of his words that got me going, “Absolutely”.’
And Malcolm is in good company for no one understands this better than the Washington family whose love for the acclaimed playwright was pioneered on screen by the Hollywood patriarch, Denzel Washington.
Deeply committed to adapting Wilson’s works, Denzel starred in the Oscar-winning re-imagining Fences opposite Viola Davis and produced 2020’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Now, he is executive producer.
‘He’s such an advocate for August Wilson that I think it’s a really important part of his legacy to get these stories off the ground,’ Malcolm reflected.
‘That commitment and reverence that he’s shown for August was the engine behind all of this.
‘[He’s] protecting us as filmmakers and letting us tell the story that we thought was important, and finding the way to get it to audiences so as many people could see this and engage with the material as possible. He’s been magnificent in that regard.’
There’s no mistaking the awe and respect with which Malcolm describes Wilson, calling him a ‘potent storyteller’ and ‘a prophet in ways’.
The Piano Lesson – starring John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler and Samuel L. Jackson – follows the Charles’ in 1936 Pittsburgh whose ancestry is immortalised through carvings on the family piano.
When Boy Willie (John David) returns to Doaker Charles’ (Samuel) and sister Beniece’s home on the heels of the death of Sutter, a slave owner who haunts their family legacy – they must reckon with the past.
There’s no doubt that the themes resonate deeply with Malcolm and his own relationship with his ancestry. But it is also a tale that ‘resonates’ much more widely.
He explained: ‘It requires you to acknowledge the decisions and sacrifices of people in your lineage that made space for you now to live your life and the way that you see fit, with pride.
‘So I think ultimately… the story is much bigger than just an American story – I think it’s something that we can all resonate with around the world.
Beyond this, the film also grapples with themes of male vulnerability, and how a generation of Black men dealt with this inherited trauma.
This is explored most profoundly during the scene where Boy Willie, Doaker, Wining Boy (Michael Potts) and Lymon (Ray Fisher) perform the song Berta, Berta.
Malcom recalled it as ‘such a special evening’ shot in ‘one night’ with all the singing done live as the stars ‘burnt out’ their voices. He added: ‘There’s so much emotion in it, and so much pain and jubilance and all of it.
‘There’s a struggle that I think a lot of Black men in that generation had of not knowing how to deal with your feelings, not knowing how to process your feelings and [we watch] that happen on their faces, that struggle.’
The filming process meant all the more to John David who was taking over the role from Samuel who had originated Boy Willie at Yale Repertory Theatre in 1987.
‘Seeing that, that he was okay with me doing it meant a lot to me,’ the Tenet star poignantly noted.
At the core of this story is the fraught relationship between a brother and sister. And with one brother on set and a sister (Katia) as a producer – Malcolm has no trouble pulling from real-life dynamics to flesh out the dynamic.
‘So much of [Bernice and Boy Willie’s] dynamic is one that I understood intrinsically because of our relationship,’ he said.
‘There’s certain ways that a younger sibling can get under the skin of an older sibling that only you know.’
Danielle was bringing her own experiences to the table, as she added: ‘I’m number three of four with regard to sibling dynamics. I’m in the middle. I know what that life is. I know how to how the fulcrum and the weights shift and move.’
It is the final scene, where Berniece and Boy Willie confront Sutter’s ghost once and for all in a hauntingly tense showdown, that has stuck with her.
‘I think we had to sit in that for at least three days,’ she recalled.
‘And so when you’re rolling into that kind of tension and emotionality, it’s less a challenge and more a gift and honor to sit in those kinds of feelings.’
As The Piano Lesson hits Netflix, Malcolm hopes this re-interpretation of Wilson’s esteemed play can connect with today’s youth – an aim he set out with at the beginning of the process.
‘I wanted to make something that I would see myself and ultimately make something that would resonate with my own demographic. And I think leaning into the genre was a big way in,’ he said.
More Trending
‘Also the music itself, August is constantly tying together the story of Black America, which is a story that spans space and time, and it’s a network of all these other stories.
‘We have music of different periods from different parts of the world, but all of the diaspora come together and weave this story of the black American identity.
‘That was our approach to it, and one that that I didn’t expect coming in. But now that the movie we finished, I couldn’t see it any other way.’
Book your ticket to see Wicked now!
The Piano Lesson arrives on Netflix today.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE: WWE fans mourn ‘end of an era’ after huge announcement before Netflix move
MORE: Eddie Hearn responds to boxing fans calling Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul ‘scripted’
MORE: Netflix hit watched 16,000,000 times in 5 days after global top 10 revealed
