Bloody Daughter Directed by Stéphanie Argerich (review)
- Bloody Daughter Directed by Stéphanie Argerich
While there a number of documentaries focused on male pianists, it is harder to find similar material on their female counterparts, and if you are seeking an insider’s perspective, the offerings are slim, indeed. In documentary filmmaker Stéphanie Argerich’s first film, she explores the complex family relationships between herself and her parents, concert pianists Martha Argerich and Stephen Kovacevich. Filmed over the span of two decades and in various European cities where the principals live, this engrossing production delivers rare insights into both the personal and professional lives of these two musicians and their families.
In creating this family portrait, Stéphanie blends contemporary documentary, archival footage, and family movies, giving unprecedented access to the private lives of her parents. Ultimately, however, it is Stéphanie’s story that is told as she searches to uncover the reasons for her unconventional upbringing and her complex relationships with her parents and her siblings. We hear Stéphanie’s voice delivering commentary while watching a younger Martha perform onstage or give interviews about the problems of integrating child rearing into her career and for the few film sequences that show her parents together. As Stéphanie did not grow up spending a great deal of time with her father, the bulk of the film is devoted to her life with Martha and her half-sisters. Through her reminiscences, the filmmaker reveals the sometimes tenuous relationship between mother and daughter, as well as the problems created by Martha’s touring and performance schedules. The film presents a brutally honest image of the pianist; in many scenes, Martha is filmed barefoot, at times clad in pajamas, and even half-dressed and fretting backstage before a concert. We see an intimate side of Martha as we watch her battle insecurities while waiting to go on stage, cope with the rigors of traveling on tour, and interact with her three daughters.
On one level, the film is a riveting look at a pianist who has grown up in the public eye, struggling to integrate the demands of a professional career and motherhood, while maintaining an active performing schedule even now at age 70. But ultimately, the film’s power is revealed through the exceptionally poignant moments when Stéphanie interacts with her parents and establishes her connection to their shared history. One of the most moving scenes occurs as Stéphanie confronts Kovacevich over the omission of his name on her birth certificate, dissolving in tears as she struggles to articulate her feelings. [End Page 142] As mother and daughter look at photos from her childhood, the inscriptions written on the reverse by Martha’s father reveal a unique insight to Martha’s personality; once she began playing the piano, Martha’s father describes her as no longer a happy child, but now “sad and preoccupied,” a description which seems to resonate with Stéphanie. In a bittersweet scene, Stéphanie and her parents are reunited for a rare restaurant excursion, with Stéphanie musing on the different direction their lives could have taken had her parents not drifted apart. By far, the most compelling scenes in the film are the interview sequences; the questions posed to Martha by her daughter are not easy ones to answer, and to her credit, Martha stares unflinchingly into the camera and reveals her viewpoints on motherhood, life as a performing artist, and her uncertainties about her own future. The portrait of Martha which emerges is one marked by strength and purpose; she does not apologize for the sometimes chaotic life her children led, or the sacrifices the family made in concession to the demands of Martha’s professional life. This candid view of one of the 20th century’s most enduring pianists will be of interest to music fans and scholars, as well as those interested in women’s studies.
The documentary itself runs 94 minutes, with additional 54 minute concert footage of Martha performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 1, Mazurka, op. 24, no. 2, and Schumann...
