Pianoforte - Le concours Frédéric-Chopin à Varsovie

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.

Jakub Piatek's "fly-on-the-wall" documentary was a real weepie for me. Featuring pianists in the XVIII International Chopin Piano Competition held in Poland in 2021, the film provides an intimate 'snapshot' of the festival by the ones probably most affected by it. Delayed because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, emotions were no doubt running high, so the film was a useful vehicle to "open up" the event after the isolation felt in the previous year.

It's impossible not to admire and wonder at all these talented individuals. Even the mundane everyday things like having a beer with friends or buying the right hairspray seem quite interesting, and all the 'ticks' artists apparently go through to ready themselves for performance. Very brave of the participants to grant the film makers so much access. You can't help feeling sorry at the end for Armenian-Russian Eva (Gevorgyan) and Hyuk Lee from Korea who apparently played so well, gave it blood, sweat & tears etc., yet fell short of their own (as well as the judge's) expectations. Viewers are spared the festival monotony of music repeated over and over. Why film the players without showing their hands, I wonder, is that a contractual thing? Fine margins decide everything in the end, so Michelle Candotti walks away disappointed and "90% sure" she won't compete in the next competition! Another thing you can't escape is the sight of people constantly checking their phones ... is that a mark of the 'modern' festival, what would Frederic Chopin make of it all?

UK viewers can currently see 'Pianoforte' as part of the 'Storyville' series of documentaries on BBC iPlayer.

I admired the fluid yet intercut method of the editing in Pianoforte and its dismissal of the boring normal chronological documentation of a competition. It unified the competitors in their unique personal points of view and even intercut their performance of a single piece - where it became startlingly difficult to tell their styles apart in close proximity. Regrettably, video coverage of some of the pianists, notably the winner (a Chinese Canadian) was not available probably due to a lack of legal agreement. I would assume that another film company held the rights to that. Imperfections aside, the docu had the confidence to just be itself with all its omissions, and was still a great work. Although masked against Covid, you could tell some of the audience were weeping during one beautiful piece.

Just gotta feel for the contestants in a machine which eats them up as just a number for the search for a winner. Each one was to me undistinguishable yet the winner had to be, the movie helps us care about the losers, their journey to fame. I love Chopin and have played just 25% of what these people "eat for breakfast".

The back story was that the Japanese guy with pony tail purposely grew it to distinguish him from the abundance of asians. I'd love to hear this in person, but having endured the Van Cliburn competition I know that it is a marathon of music that just isn't for everyone, but if Chopin himself could have heard it?