Pianoforte

Saw this at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

"Pianoforte" is a documentary about young pianists take part in the legendary International Chopin Piano Competition. A unique chance of a lifetime, portrayed from backstage and set to Chopin's music. This is director Jakub Piatek's second feature after his previous film "Prime Time" which I thought was somewhat compelling but overall lacking. Here, "Pianoforte" is an improvement of his directing style and storytelling.

The film does a pretty good job capturing the competitive nature between piano players all around the world as you get an interesting insight of each individual and how they feel. Extremely well-shot throughout with good music playing along.

From someone who once played piano, it's interesting to see the perspective of players across the world on how they feel, how piano playing has an impact on them, and why it matters towards them. There are some pacing problems and there were some interviews that felt a little off-putting.

Overall, it was a good film. In my opinion, I think Jakub Piatek is good with documentaries rather than fictional films and I do look forward to see what he makes next.

Rating: B.