The Piano Teacher (2001) directed by Michael Haneke
“If you want to hit me, hit me.
No one would touch your sort, even with gloves on.”
Warning- The Piano Teacher has very heavy themes and this discussion does as well.
Erika Kohut, Walter Klemmer, and The Mother
This film means a lot to me. At the beginning of the film, I heavily related to the lack of control that Erika had. I feel like when people speak about the film, the most memorable part is the sexual aspect of it- rightfully so- but that’s not what stuck to me the most.
The relationship that Erika had with her mother felt very familiar. Don’t buy or wear certain things, don’t be out too late, take me everywhere, take every step with me, this and that. Although Erika’s love for her mother is obvious, it is even more so that her mother drags her down and that she is a contributing & subconscious cause for her daughter’s paraphilia.
Definition of Paraphilia~ the intense sexual urge of suffering, humiliation, and non-consensual situations. KEEP IN MIND- Consensual kinks involving pain or nonconsensual can be healthy when it is between consensual parties and in moderation. In Erika’s case- Walter doesn’t care for her well-being, never discusses a safe-word/time/place. Even in scenarios where Erika consents- the locker room scene where she pukes- Walter degrades and treats her terribly.
Mother-Daughter relationships are complicated. One where the mother fails to give their daughter information and healthy discussions about sexuality is bound to give the daughter a complex. Aside from the opening scene, where we see The Mother shaming Erika for buying a dress & for the style of the dress, the we see how she is very close-minded about womanhood.
In fact, the fact her mother lacks a name, where even her pupil has one, shows exactly how large the gap is between the two and how loveless their relationship is.
When Erika harms herself (not explicitly said if on the inner thigh or the genitals) and The Mother sees it, she shames Erika for being dirty as she assumes it is her period.
Erika Kohut is a complex and gray character. She molests her mother & hurts one of her students out of presumed jealousy.
However, her “wanting to be beaten for years” comes from the frigidness in her life. Her mother refusing to give her the physical and emotional bond she needs, her lack of a sex life due to her mother, the control her mother has over the when, where, why, and what.
After getting a glimpse of her life with a domineering mother and repression her sexuality, leading to a double-life of jealousy where sexual acts are incredibly voyeuristic, cold, and devious. Beneath her pretentious and cold teacher persona is this depraved, self-mutilative, and lonely woman. Pain becomes pleasure, after years of having no form of human connection.
So, when she meets Klemmer, a young & attractive young man who gives her this strong attention, she doesn’t know how to act properly.
She invites him over and BEGS him to beat her, disregards her overbearing mother, goes to his hockey practices, etc. Walter, a young man who doesn’t even attempt to understand her wants, takes advantage of this vulnerable woman and her mother. She finds herself powerless, yet not in the way she so desired.
The most tragic part of the story, is how after all she went through, her mother remains cold & heartless, Walter walks past her just like before, and no one is there for her.
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