Long before The Power of the Dog, Jane Campion explored the relationship between sexuality and power with this Palme d’Or-winning tale of a woman, mysteriously mute, arriving with her daughter for an arranged marriage in 19th-century New Zealand, and getting caught up in a strange arrangement with her husband’s neighbour. The titular musical instrument is both bargaining tool and an outlet for private passions.

“So hard to choose just one Jane Campion film, but The Piano still resonates for me and hits the sweet spot thanks to an unbeatable combination of talents, from Campion herself and the stars to Michael Nyman’s transcendent compositions.” Leslie Felperin

“The Piano is a film about passion and love for life, for music, for the essence. It is about the clash between form and content, love and possession, illusion and triviality. It is about uncompromising will and the choice to live one’s own way, at any cost.” Suncica Unevska

“The image of Ada (Holly Hunter) on the beach, a black umbrella in her hand, her daughter on her lap, her piano on the sand, is unforgettable. Every shot in this film evokes painting. Every image is a shock. We go through all the emotions: it is a tortured film, a tale about emancipation, passion, fantasies.” Ava Cahen

“A complex masterpiece full of cinematic language that reflects how women’s rights in the world can be applied to contemporary society.” Anchalee Chaiworaporn

“Jane Campion is arguably one of the few directors who has managed to engender a new humanist vision for cinema at the point of modernity’s decline. Her Piano is a vaccine that has helped cinema’s relevance survive well into the 21st century.” Vigen Galstyan

“One of the most visceral film experiences I had as an 11-year-old moviegoer and the impression has stayed intact. Hunter’s performance and Stuart Dryburgh’s cinematography are something from another world.” Bruno Oseguera Pizaña

“The Piano is a film that springs to mind every time I find myself on a rainy beach or with a hole in my tights. Two hours of perfect, voluptuous repression and desire.” Nazmia Jamal

“Oceanic cinema at its most all-consuming: a singular, senses-stunning wave of eroticism entwined with tragedy, played out on a canvas that demands the biggest screen while piercing the heart with tiny details. You feel something new with each viewing. Campion is also a pioneer in the field of showcasing male nudity in mainstream film, redressing a sexist imbalance that has diminished the artform for decades (and continues to do so). Absolutely wild it didn’t make the top 100 in the critics’ or directors’ poll last time!” Manish Agarwal

Film	Year	Director
A Matter of Life and Death	1946	Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
The Piano	1992	Jane Campion
All That Heaven Allows	1955	Douglas Sirk
Late Spring	1949	Yasujirō Ozu
The Green Ray	1986	Eric Rohmer
Picnic at Hanging Rock	1975	Peter Weir
Midnight Cowboy	1969	John Schlesinger
Mirror	1975	Andrei Tarkovsky
Under the Skin	2013	Jonathan Glazer
Daughters of the Dust	1991	Julie Dash

Laura Venning

Voted for