A Surprise in Texas

The Van Cliburn Foundation commissioned this documentary about the 13th annual Van Cliburn Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, which may explain why director Rosen keeps his focus on the competition – a grueling three-week play-off between an international field of young and wildly talented pianists – while providing a less complete picture of the competitors themselves. Rosen picks a favorite early on –  Japan’s Nobuyuki Tsujii – and indeed, it is very hard to resist the sunny 20-year-old, who was born blind. Still, that single biographical detail is all we have to go on, which is even more than others are afforded; the film conveys the essential charisma of the Cliburn competitors but nothing of their personal lives. Then again, these kids – and they do, largely, feel like kids (the youngest competitor, 19-year-old Haochen Zhang could be confused for a Chinese cousin to Superbad’s McLovin) – come to Fort Worth with an intense single-mindedness to win the gold medal, which promises not just glory but also a hefty cash prize, concert dates, and a record deal. Shot on video and within spitting-distance access to the performers in concert, A Surprise in Texas follows the course of the competition as pianists are whittled down through successive rounds, from 29 to 12 to 6 finalists, and finally three medal winners. It’s a cutthroat business, but the film is somewhat blinded to anything but the bright side; of the many pianists we have met and come to like, only one is afforded a single reaction shot when he’s cut from the competition. A Surprise in Texas never satisfies in the way a truly immersive competition doc, such as Spellbound, does, but for classical music enthusiasts, it’s still an entertaining peek behind the curtain of a high-stakes, high-wire three weeks.