Certificate 15
Duration 121 mins
Film starts approximately 21.00
Ada (Holly Hunter), a mute Scottish widow, arrives on the shores of New Zealand with her nine year-old daughter (Anna Paquin) and treasured piano to enter into an arranged marriage with a plainsman (Sam Neill).
The inhospitable land, loveless relationship and unexpected attentions of a local man (Harvey Keitel) unleash a turbulent passion within Ada that cannot be quelled. Campion’s film has the feel of a dark folk tale, illuminated by rapturous, unforgettable images and Michael Nyman’s swirling, spellbinding score.
Oscar winners Hunter and Paquin are twin forces of nature as mother and daughter, their Academy Awards adding to a pile of prizes the film accumulated, including the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, with Campion becoming only the second woman to be nominated for the Best Director Oscar.
From its opening shot to the last frame, The Piano is a masterpiece of cinema that demands to be experienced on a big screen.
Before the film, Swedish-Iranian pianist Shida Shahabi will set the mood with a contemporary classical performance live on piano.
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