Director's Statement
Living in New York City, we often grow accustomed to wielding a shield in our daily lives to cope with the slings and arrows of big-city living. At the same time, we crave connections—to friends, neighbors and even strangers. It can seem like no one really cares who we are, though sometimes we'd rather keep that to ourselves, anyway. I'm intrigued by this duality.
In “Pianoforte,” a newly arrived NYC apartment dweller is already near the end of her emotional rope. While lonely and craving contact, she finds her neighbors strange and difficult, and retreats to her apartment for refuge. Her neighbors rob her of that peace. I’ve taken these circumstances and turned them into a psychological drama with a dark sense of humor.
Neo-noir is the style I’m aiming for, where elements such as anxiety, disillusionment and panic drive the look. The sets are stark and high contrast, reflecting the lead actor’s state of mind. Echoing the film’s title, which means “soft-loud” in Italian, I also enlist sounds as a further instrument of torment.
Peilin Kuo
In “Pianoforte,” a newly arrived NYC apartment dweller is already near the end of her emotional rope. While lonely and craving contact, she finds her neighbors strange and difficult, and retreats to her apartment for refuge. Her neighbors rob her of that peace. I’ve taken these circumstances and turned them into a psychological drama with a dark sense of humor.
Neo-noir is the style I’m aiming for, where elements such as anxiety, disillusionment and panic drive the look. The sets are stark and high contrast, reflecting the lead actor’s state of mind. Echoing the film’s title, which means “soft-loud” in Italian, I also enlist sounds as a further instrument of torment.
Peilin Kuo