Malcolm and John David Washington introduced the film

The Piano Lesson has become the latest August Wilson play to be adapted for the screen by Denzel Washington and his family.

But while the Hollywood star has directed, starred in or produced film adaptations such as Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom in recent years, it is his two sons who take center stage in the latest screen adaptation.

The Piano Lesson is directed by filmmaker Malcolm Washington, while his actor brother John David Washington plays one of the lead roles. Their father Denzel works as a producer.

Speaking ahead of its UK premiere at the London Film Festival, John David Washington described the film’s team as “fearless” in their efforts to produce a unique interpretation of the 1987 play.

Malcolm and John David Washington’s two sisters are also involved in The Piano Lesson – Katia Washington is an executive producer, and Olivia Washington, who recently starred opposite Kit Harington in the West End show Slave Play, has an acting role.

Speaking at the Telluride Film Festival last month, actress and Denzel’s wife Pauletta Pearson Washington admitted the film is a family event, joking: “All my kids are involved in this.”

The film also sees actress Danielle Deadwyler join the Oscars race, two years after she was widely considered to have been unfairly snubbed following her stunning performance in Till.

Set in 1936 Pittsburgh after the Great Depression, the Netflix film follows a brother and sister who disagree about what to do with the family heirloom piano they inherited.

Daughter Berniece (Deadwyler) hasn’t played the piano since the siblings’ mother died. Instead, it sits in his living room and serves as a reminder of what his ancestors endured as slaves.

The faces of previous generations of the family have been carved into the wood of the piano. But while Berniece refuses to even move the piano, her brother Boy Willie (John David Washington) wants to sell it to buy a place.

Speaking at Deadline’s Contender’s London event, John David Washington described the attitude of the cast and crew as “fearless”.

“It wasn’t that scary because, right away, we were like, OK, we’re doing it ours movie,” he said. “There are many versions of this story, and this is ours.

“We will pass you through our filter of honesty and truth and vulnerability, put ourselves on the line, and process it carefully until, when you get to the end, your spirit is still there.”

Deadwyler also praised Malcolm Washington, saying that the director “gave us energy, especially during rehearsals, and those ideas and the way we collaborated enabled him to do whatever he did on camera”.

A new adaptation of The Piano Lesson could be part of the upcoming film awards race. Two other versions of Washington by August Wilson, Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, are nominated for Oscars in 2017 and 2021 respectively.

But while those two movies feel like more staged performances, The Piano Lesson has a lot of visual variety. Malcolm Washington made efforts to make it into a cinematic adaptation.

Wilson was a US playwright known for writing about the lives and experiences of black Americans. His other works include Jitney, Two Trains Running and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.

The Piano Lesson was revived on Broadway in 2022, and many of the actors who appeared in it on stage have moved on to the film.

However, Till star Deadwyler joined the cast to adapt to the screen, and many critics singled out his performance for praise.

“Although many of the cast are similar to those from Broadway, the film is unmistakably Deadwyler’s,” said Variety’s Peter Debruge.

The actress “brings the film together with a performance of great courage and heft”, agreed Maureen Lee Lenker of Entertainment Weekly.

Deadwyler was expected to take one of the five best actress slots when this year’s Oscar nominations are announced in January 2023.

However, a combination of events meant he missed out on a place in the division, such a successful grassroots campaign to get Andrea Riseborough nominated and Michelle Williams’ decision to submit as a lead actress instead of a supporting actress.

That means The Piano Lesson could be seen by Academy voters as a second chance to see Deadwyler’s work, potentially putting him in the running for best actor this year.

Overall, the film has received positive reviews from critics at the festivals it has played so far, although some have been lukewarm in their response.

“It’s clear that Washington is taking the task of adapting Wilson seriously, and there’s a lot to admire about The Piano Lesson,” said Hollywood reporter Lovia Gyarkye.

“But the work can be limited, and there are times when Piano Lesson is so faithful, it struggles to shake the stage.”

“Malcolm Washington proves to be a skilled director, expanding the story in ways he can while staying true to the source material,” wrote Collider’s Ross Bonaime.

The Wrap’s Carla Renata said the film “serves as a reminder that the wealth of a generation is not just money, but is emotionally and genetically tied to our ancestors”.

But Caleb Hammond of IndieWire said: “Although this version contains its fair share of outstanding sequences and Oscar-worthy performances, the film does not fully come together into a successful, unified, emotional narrative.”

The Piano Lesson marks Malcolm Washington’s first guide. In the conversation he had with various people last month, his father Denzel said: “I’m very proud of Malcolm.

“From the beginning I knew he had a vision. I learned from my son the difference between making a film and being a producer. I’ve directed four films… but I didn’t know what to do. Malcolm studied filmmaking. He’s a scholar.

“When he was young, he would read my scripts and ask insightful questions. His mother is a big fan of movies, so he – like all my children – grew up watching movies. He always wanted to make movies, and now he’s doing it.”

Although Malcolm is still standing behind the camera, viewers may be more familiar with John David Washington, the actor who played the lead role in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and has appeared in Amsterdam, BlacKkKlansman and Malcolm & Marie opposite Zendaya.