“Shoot the Pianist” focuses on existentialism. The film maintains the belief that life is meaningless unless the individual finds meaning.  Tuffaut’s film demonstrates the French New Wave cinema while paying tribute to classic American film noir cinema. The main character Charlie struggles with his life after the suicide of his wife. He continues on only by playing the piano, the one thing he knows how to do.  His live remains simple until he becomes involved with his brother who gets into trouble with gangsters. Charlie returns to life he once left and chaos ensues leading him to repeat the same mistakes as before. Ultimately, Charlie must find meaning in his life to continue.