God of the Piano (2019)

What makes a prodigy?  Is it God given talent, is it persistence in early training, is it hereditary, or is it the fear of disappointing the ones who came before you?  For the family at the center of this Israeli film, God of the Piano (2019), there is a level of worship around music that propels them to be better than the previous "prodigy" within their family.  As the patriarch of the clan, Raphael (Shimon Mimran), his daughter, Anat (Naama Preis) is to be the best there ever was, even better than him and the rest of their family that are professional pianists all over the world.  As she develops into a true master on the ivories, she soon discovers that she is going to have a baby soon, so the cycle of familial perfection around the piano is going to continue with her teaching her child.  The only problem is that Anat soon discovers that her baby is going to be born deaf, putting a huge wrench in the lineage of perfection that they have all come to expect from their next of kin...  As the film jumps forward in time we soon discover that this family is more than just cold to one another, the only measure of success between them is musical greatness and anything less is met with severity.  There is no true God in their houses, just the God of the Piano, and all must worship!  We get some mild cheek meat from Shimon Mimran while he plays the piano naked in this one, but that is the only real nudity for this indie out of Israel!