The Pianist is a 2002 film directed by Roman Polanski based on the autobiography of Polish Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman. It follows Szpilman in Warsaw as World War 2 begins and he is forced into the ghetto before being separated from his family. Szpilman survives hiding in the ruins of Warsaw until the concentration camp prisoners are released. The film stars Adrien Brody as Szpilman and focuses on his struggle to survive amid the tragedy and dehumanization of the Holocaust.