isabelle huppert portray a talented female piano teacher who be staid and unfriendly and distant in public and and bitter towards her student . privately and she seethe with violence and frustration and and her sexual life be solitary and perverse . she live with her overbear mother and who obsessively drive her to become noticed ( and so advance in life ) a a talented pianist . the key to the character of both mother and daughter be obsession . these character can not change their impulse anymore than a rabbit caught in headlight can avoid death . the piano teacher meet a young and attractive and talented pianist who from the beginning be attract to her . they start a relationship in the most unconventional way and but from the outset she make perverse and violent term that he must perform on her and which sicken him enough to want to terminate the relationship before it have really begin . the film tie itself to the female lead . isabelle huppert amaze with a brutal and completely convincing performance a the piano teacher . she cleverly show a woman who be draw to beauty and perversion and but her violence be feed by her perverted impulse . a a film that be so character driven and you know it would not work half a well and have she act poorly . this be powerful and intelligently act and and intelligently and sensitively adapt from the novel . the camera work also suit the film . there be what i can only think to call and frame shot where the director hold a scene and force the eye to dart about . this be do extremely effectively against a blank bathroom wall and and be a further testament to the director mastery . expect to be disturb and sicken by this film . but and be brave have the gut to go and see it . this be a very private look into essentially one person life and but do not expect to be entertain in the hollywood sense . there be no car chase in this film .