A ‘heartbreaking’ period drama featuring an unconventional romance is earning acclaim as ‘absolutely beautiful’ from cinema enthusiasts, and it broadcasts on BBC2 this evening.

The Piano, which premiered in 1993, centres on pianist Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter) and her young daughter Flora (Anna Paquin), who find themselves stranded with their possessions, including a piano, on a New Zealand shoreline.

Ada, who has remained silent since her youth, has been arranged into matrimony with a local settler called Alisdair Stewart (Sam Neill).

Showing minimal effort to connect with Alisdair, Ada becomes increasingly fascinated by his Maori-sympathetic associate, George Baines (Harvey Keitel), sparking intense and transformative drama.

The production received widespread critical praise and witnessed Holly Hunter claim Best Actress whilst Anna Paquin secured Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards, with Paquin becoming the second youngest Oscar recipient in history at just 11.

Director Jane Campion made history as the first woman filmmaker to claim the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, whilst the movie proved a commercial triumph, earning over $140 million globally from a modest $7 million production cost.

One critique on Rotten Tomatoes, where it boasts a 90 per cent approval rating, said: “The Piano, a crowning achievement from director Jane Campion, is an untraditional love story that clearly puts style and substance beside each other. Sold into marriage, Ada (Holly Hunter), a mute pianist, travels to a remote area of New Zealand with her young daughter (Anna Paquin) and beloved piano to marry a man (Sam Neill) she has never met”, reports the Mirror.

“Through an unseemly chain of events, she soon finds herself in love with her husband’s neighbor (Harvey Keitel), all of which leads to an unexpected outcome.

“A film like no other, it features excellent performances (especially from the young Paquin), stunning cinematography (the blue filter used for many of the exteriors gives the film an ethereal feel), patient editing and direction (shots linger effectively on characters’ expressions), and a memorable story with a satisfying outcome.”

A five-star assessment also noted: “Not a film for your usual cinema goer, but for those who appreciate more depth, and have the patience to watch a film slowly grow they will be rewarded with a masterpiece of a film.

“The Piano is what all of those other supposedly erotic films wish they were. That aside, it’s also a well-made acting piece if you’re the type who reads Playboy ‘for the articles’,” a third reviewer remarked.

Another viewer wrote: “Jane Campion’s masterpiece not only shines for its feminist legacy and awards (First Palm d’Or ever given to a female director), but also for the elegance of the screenplay, the one-of-a-kind performace by Holly Hunter and the inteligence of this story.”

A five-star review said: “Absolutely beautiful! Beautifully told, beautifully shot, beautifully performed! An unapologetic, poetically life-affirming masterwork! !”.

Another shared: “A period romantic drama with a compelling love triangle, erotic passion, impressive production values and an emotive and haunting story, with a poignant screenplay and powerful performances from Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin.”

A more detailed review added: “The Piano is not the kind of film that aims to please everyone. It’s slow pace, contentious subject matter and frequent bouts of depression will win it no fans in the world of mainstream cinema, but its easy to recognise its merits, and see why it made such an impact when it was released.

“Powered by sensitive direction and excellent lead performances, particularly from Holly Hunter, who manages to carry the emotional weight of the film without uttering a single word, it’s a story of forbidden love that might not be altogether original, but is delivered in such a way that it still resonates.

“I was most impressed by just how raw and unfiltered the emotions were. It never felt like anything was being suppressed or covered up. The characters wear their hearts on their sleeve, and that lends itself to a lot of very authentic moments.

“It does have one too many sad montages, a fairly limp ending and very little in the way of levity, especially towards the climax. Also, I had trouble placing a lot of the accents. Our heroines are supposed to be Scottish, but I spent the entire movie believing they were Irish. Sam Neill and Harvey Keitel also sound like they’re not exactly sure where their characters are supposed to be from.

“But these issues aside, and discounting the fact that I’ll never rush to see it again, The Piano is a movie I have no problem recommending. Not perfect by any means, but with a wealth of talent both in front of and behind the camera, it’s a fantastic achievement for all those involved.”

The Piano airs on Tuesday 20 January on BBC2 at 12am.