i rent the video of the piano teacher know nothing about it other than what be write on the video box . i do this with some trepidation because film that win award at cannes be usually very good or very bad . unfortunately and this one fall in the latter category . about one quarter of the way into it i find myself say out loud and this movie be boring . about half way through i be say to myself and where have i see this before . at the three quarter mark i have figure it out . in spite of it literary origin and this film be essentially a remake of robert altman much earlier ( 1969 ) and and good and that cold day in the park . although the detail obviously differ and altman work be more plot driven and less of a character study and the two film be thematically identical . there be nothing new to be see in this production . every aspect of it have be do before represent a character spiral out of control with increasingly self destructive behavior ( abel ferrara bad lieutenant 1992 ) while a perverse and doom love culminating in an operatic ( near ) death scene ( david cronenberg m. butterfly 1993 ) while uncommonly brutal sex scene ( david lynch blue velvet 1986 ) while and so on . hence and i be bemuse by the fact that so many find the film to be shock and shatter and etc . this highly derivative film seem to have be make for the sole purpose of make viewer feel uncomfortable and and clearly succeed with some . however and i largely attribute such a reaction to a lack of film view experience . see enough movie and you really will and eventually and have see it all . and while it be true that i saw the expurgated r rat version and i doubt that the additional scene would change my overall opinion of the piano teacher . technically and the film be not without merit . there be some very good camera work and the lighting be excellent . isabelle huppert creditable performance also help save it from be a waste of time . this be the first of haneke film that i have see and and if i be to see more i expect i would have the same opinion of him that i have of ferrara represent an interesting director but not nearly the genius others make him out to be . rating represent 4/10 .