It doesn’t take much to cause a row within families; an unkind word here, an unthoughtful gesture there and before you know it a rift is splitting it apart.

But it’s not only people that can cause them but things, as family members can fight over them, as is the case here with this family drama where a piano is a bone of contention between siblings.

Making his way to Pittsburgh in a truck full of watermelons is Boy Willie (John David Washington) and friend Lymon (Ray Fisher). He’s there to visit his sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) and uncle Doaker (Samuel L. Jackson), but may well have an ulterior motive for his visit; he has the opportunity to buy himself a plot of land back home, but is short of cash. He intends to sell the melons they’re transporting, but it won’t be enough, so he also intends to sell a family heirloom that sits in his sister’s house – a piano.

It’s not something that she uses herself particularly, but she has a strong emotional connection to it, as it has carvings all over that illustrate their family’s struggle. Her brother doesn’t see it that way, and believes it will help set him up for his future.

Regardless of the contention between brother and sister, the piano may well have ideas of its own...

It’s only fitting that a film about a family feud is brought to the screen by one of the most respected family names in Hollywood currently, the Washington’s. It stars one of the brightest talents on the scene right now, John David Washington, with his brother Malcolm making his directorial debut. And to crown it off the legend that is Denzel is producing.

It’s based on the 1987 play of the same name written by August Wilson, and it’s not long into it that you can tell of its origins. The majority of the film takes place in Berniece and Doaker’s living room, giving it very much that staged presentation. Young Washington does his best to alleviate this sensation by giving his camera some movement, but with such a dialogue heavy piece, it’s difficult to ignore. To that end, as confident as a debut it is, there’s no denying how stagnant it often feels.

To compensate for it in some way, there are some great performances, with highlights mainly coming from Deadwyler and Fisher, and especially the scenes they share together in the latter stages of the film.

You can tell that all the cast have to work fairly hard with so much dialogue to convey, as it gives them very little time to do anything else. And yet they do just enough to define their characters and the part they play in this family drama. It’s also helped by a surprisingly gripping finale, which simmers throughout before bubbling to the surface in quite a surprising fashion.

It’s certainly a feature that all the Washington’s involved can be proud of, illustrating that families can be productive when they work together.