WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Piano Lesson.
The ending of Netflix’s new historical dramaThe Piano Lessonfeatures musical and supernatural elements centering around the vengeful ghost of Sutter. Directed by Malcolm Washington,The Piano Lessonis a film adaptation of the play of the same name written by August Wilson, who also wrote the original play that inspired the Academy Award-winning filmFences.The Piano Lesson’sensemble castis led by John David Washington (Tenet,The Creator), Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction,The Hateful Eight), Danielle Deadwyler (The Harder They Fall,Station Eleven), and Ray Fisher (True Detective,Justice League).
While the film and play are both deeply rooted in American history,The Piano Lessonis not based on a true storyor true people.The Piano Lessonhas opened up to strong reviews, earning an impressive Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 90%.The Piano Lessonmarks the feature film directorial debut of Malcolm Washington, the youngest son of Denzel Washington who directs his older brother John David Washington in the film. By the end ofThe Piano Lesson,Washington’s Boy Willie and Deadwyler’s Berniece are forced to confront the ghosts of their family’s pastin the form of a slave owner named Sutter.
The Piano Lessonis now streaming exclusively on Netflix.
Boy Willie’s Decision To Not Sell The Piano Explained
At the end ofThe Piano Lesson, Boy Willie gives up his ambition to sell the piano that his father Boy Charles had stolen from the Sutter plantation to buy land in Mississippi. Boy Willie realizes in the end that the piano is a significant and protective heirloom that cannot be sold not only because it has sentimental value but represents his and his sister Berniece’s ancestors. Jackson’s Doaker is more-or-less the peacemaker in the film who aims to keep Bernieve and Boy Willie from fighting each other over the piano. After the demonic confrontation with Sutter’s ghost, bothBerniece and Boy Willie understand that the piano is incredibly valuable and must be honoredby their family.
Why Boy Willie Tells Berniece & Maretha To Keep Playing The Piano
After Boy Willie fends off Sutter’s violent ghost, he understands that Berniece and Maretha must both continue to play the family heirloom. Playing that particular piano has much more meaning and resonance than playing just any old piano, given the significant backstory and sacrifice that went into acquiring that piano in the first place. Boy Charles, Boy Willie and Berniece’s father, was killed after he was discovered by Sutter’s family and associates for stealing the piano. Berniece is reluctant to play it because of the pain and strife that Boy Charlie brought upon their family all over that piano. In the end, she sees it asa way to connect directly to the strength and life force of her ancestors.
Is Boy Willie A Ghost?
Boy Willie says one line at the end ofThe Piano Lessonthat suggests he may also be a ghost along with Sutter. Boy Willie warns Berniece that if she and Maretha don’t keep playing the piano, both he and Sutter are liable to “come back”. Since Sutter is dead and has returned as a ghost, there is a sort of “Sixth Sense” moment where the audience may wonder whether Boy Willie has been dead the whole time and was also killed in the wood supplies incident with Berniece’s husband, Crawley. Despite this intriguing theory,Boy Willie is not a ghost. He is alive and real in both the play and the movie. The ending implies he will find another way to buy land and continue his father’s farming legacy.
How Berniece Used The Piano To Destroy Sutter’s Ghost
Berniece was reluctant to play the piano until Sutter’s ghost started coming around, who seemed to have been there to haunt Boy Willie particularly. Berniece realized there was nothing else she could do to get rid of Sutter’s ghost and called upon her ancestors for help, taking Avery’s suggestion after his blessings failed to make an impact.Bernice calls on her ancestors by name as she plays the piano, creating a powerful and tense scene that overlaps with Sutter’s ghost trying to kill Boy Willie upstairs. Through the strength of her family members through the spiritual vehicle of the heirloom, Sutter’s ghost turned to ash and dust.
Did Boy Willie Kill Sutter?
The biggest question about why Sutter wants Boy Willie dead, specifically, remains unanswered by the end ofThe Piano Lesson. Boy Willie knows all about how Sutter died by falling into a well but claims he had nothing to do with it despite a plausible motive.Berniece thinks Boy Willie did it but there’s no concrete evidence to support her suspicionsin the film and Boy Willie never confesses to it. Sutter knows that Boy Charles stole the piano in the first place and could feasibly use his death to return to haunt his children and grandchild for that reason. Still, it would not be surprising if Boy Willie did confess to pushing Sutter down that well given their heated altercation at the end of the film.
Why Berniece’s Candle Went Out During Avery’s Blessing
Despite his earnest efforts, Avery’s preacher skills aren’t powerful enough to thwart Sutter’s ghost, who is out for blood. The lights flicker and cabinet drawers fly open as Avery tries to combat the wicked spirit of Sutter to no avail. When Avery’s candle goes out through Sutter’s dark forces, both she and Avery realize that they are dealing with a more powerful force than either of them could have imagined.The candle extinguishing raises the stakes and encourages Berniece to fight Sutterwith her most powerful and effective defense: the piano.
Boy Willie’s Fight With Sutter’s Ghost Explained
Boy Willie was physically assaulted by Sutter’s ghost several times at the end ofThe Piano Lesson. He was thrown across the room after climbing the stairs and even supernaturally strangled by Sutter. Boy Willie is the third person to see Sutter along with Berniece and Maretha since they are the direct descendants of Boy Charles.The film employs horror and ghost fantasy elements to illustrate the figurative haunting of the Sutter familyover Boy Willie, Berniece, and their ancestors.The Piano Lessonpresents the supernatural force of Sutter as fact, similar to true paranormal horror films such asHereditary.
What The Water On The Floor Means In The Piano Lesson
Water shows up on the floor of Doaker’s house several times throughout The Piano Lesson. It seeps across the floorboards as if it had a sentient presence and motivation. When Boy Willie is fighting Sutter in an upstairs bedroom, there is also water splashing in the frame, which is another supernatural element added to their physical altercation. The inclusion of water in these scenes is likelyghostly evidence of Sutter’s presence after dying in the well. The water would not be there if Sutter’s ghost was not in the house and had no practical source other than acting as evidence of Sutter’s presence.
The Real Meaning of The Piano Lesson’s Ending
When Boy Willie first arrived at Doaker’s house, it was clear that Berniece knew he would bring trouble with him. She reserves herself to a quiet and strict life built around faith and supporting her child. Meanwhile, Boy Willie is always looking for a way to “hit a lick” with Lymon and is naturally and fiercely defiant about the restrictions of the overtly racist society he lives in. The brother and sister both had to break out of their comfort zones and personal lifestyles to address the seriousness of their enemy forces who even come back from the dead to haunt and take from them.Sutter could be seeking revenge for Boy Willie killing him but more importantly, he seeks to take him back as his property.
The climax ofThe Piano Lessonrelies on the integral point of howBerniece and Boy Willie need to reevaluate their understanding of the world while honoring their ancestral line. Neither of them can go on living while also being deracinated from their family roots. Berniece has been wronged and taken from so much that she has closed herself up to new advances and opportunities. Meanwhile, Boy Willie aims to take back everything and then some for all the hardship that men like Sutter have put his family through. Both siblings represent extreme and opposite reactions to generational and systemic trauma inThe Piano Lessonand find a way to come together to find empowerment and overcome their scars through family ties.
The Piano Lesson
Cast
In The Piano Lesson, a brother and sister clash over selling a family heirloom piano—he sees it as a path to wealth, while she views it as a vital link to their heritage. Their uncle tries to mediate, but the conflict reveals deep truths about identity, legacy, and the past.
