the piano

Before we head off for the weekend, I’m bringing you another favorite film of mine: The Piano. This epically beautiful film by Jane Campion is both visually stunning and heart wrenching. It’s the story of Ada McGrath, a woman who has willed herself not to speak, who travels to New Zealand with her daughter for an arranged marriage.

The film takes place in the 1850s New Zealand, showing the raw beginnings of colonization on the island. It contrasts the strict, formal European culture with the untamed wilderness of the island. This contrast is embodied by the beach on which Ada and her daughter arrive. (more…)