7 Reactions to The Piano Teacher
By Jimmy Chen
2. Cutting genitalia in bathroom
This lady lives with her overbearing mom and is quickly approaching full-on spinsterhood, if not already. In one bathroom scene I figure she’s going to brush her teeth, then all of a sudden she takes out a razor and sits on the edge of the bathtub. At this point I’m thinking “okay, so she’s going to shave her pubic hair, big deal”; but that would be underestimating mister Haneke. In two subtle seconds, one notices a line of blood running down from between her legs and realizes that she is mutilating her genitalia. She lets out a vague whimper that could be both pain or ecstasy. This goes beyond empathizing with the main character. My groin quivered with unease at the thought of a sliced up labia.
Colloquial reaction: “Holy shit.”