On Thursday, the Bolesławiec Film Discussion Club met for the second time since its revival in November. In addition to Club members, a large audience of around one hundred people attended the screening.
This time, the meeting featured “The Piano Teacher,” directed by Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke. The 2001 film received awards at numerous international film festivals—the Cannes jury honored it with three awards: the second most prestigious Grand Prix, as well as acting awards for Isabelle Huppert and Benoît Magimel.
From the moment of its first presentation, the film sparked considerable controversy. The filmmakers have been accused of exposing audiences to pornographic content and of giving the film a feminist message, which is explained by its source: the novel on which the film was based. This refers to the much-discussed book by the ardent feminist and communist Elfriede Jelinek, winner of this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature.
After the screening, a considerable part of the audience stayed for what later proved to be a heated discussion. The topics included human sexuality, physicality, desire, loneliness and the inability to cope with life.