"The Piano Teacher" is all about Huppert's character; a middle-aged classical piano instructor with a stoic facade behind which lurks a powerfully compelling aberrant personality. Unsatisfying as a story but intriguing as a character study, the film follows the Huppert character through the term of her anguished relationship with a pupil delivering superb performances in the process. Not for everyone, "The Piano Teacher" will play best with those into foreign films and character-driven dramas dealing with dark issues. (A-)