Elina Sousatska (McClain) is a high end eccentric piano teacher. She becomes too attached to her pupils and doesn't want to let them get on with their careers. In this story she takes as a new pupil an Indian British 15 year old Manek Sen (Naveen Chowdry). McClain does an excellent character study you realize she is also a lonely old woman with emotional fears and interests in her pupils that even she doesn't recognize.
I like classical music still I find that movies like this take a topic like classical music and exaggerate its importance as though it were the holy grail of human genius and intellectual/emotional achievement. These movies indicate that only a handful of people have what it takes to succeed and the whole world watches them in awe. The reality is of course different, like Olympic athletes (and every other endeavor) the ego and drive is the real key (not some extremely rare genius). None of that selfish overly competitive mania is ever hinted at.
Also Naveen Chowdry is a dreadful actor at first I thought he was not a professional actor...but an actual child pianist..but learned on the INTERNET differently.
Truthfully I watched it because I had just watched Sunday Bloody Sunday and was so impressed with it I wanted to see more by the director Schlesinger. I found this movie on Netflix Streaming. It was made 17 years later than Sunday Bloody Sunday and is no where near as good.
The movie tends to be a bit cloy and corny with things like the house-mates. Chowdry is a terrible actor. The advertisements are intrusive you know things like Coca Cola signs etc... and the visual symbols are too obvious.
Still an OK watch because of McClain.
RECOMMEND
I like classical music still I find that movies like this take a topic like classical music and exaggerate its importance as though it were the holy grail of human genius and intellectual/emotional achievement. These movies indicate that only a handful of people have what it takes to succeed and the whole world watches them in awe. The reality is of course different, like Olympic athletes (and every other endeavor) the ego and drive is the real key (not some extremely rare genius). None of that selfish overly competitive mania is ever hinted at.
Also Naveen Chowdry is a dreadful actor at first I thought he was not a professional actor...but an actual child pianist..but learned on the INTERNET differently.
Truthfully I watched it because I had just watched Sunday Bloody Sunday and was so impressed with it I wanted to see more by the director Schlesinger. I found this movie on Netflix Streaming. It was made 17 years later than Sunday Bloody Sunday and is no where near as good.
The movie tends to be a bit cloy and corny with things like the house-mates. Chowdry is a terrible actor. The advertisements are intrusive you know things like Coca Cola signs etc... and the visual symbols are too obvious.
Still an OK watch because of McClain.
RECOMMEND