Please do not shy away from the grittiness of “Pieces of a Woman”. The rare female perspective on childbirth is absolutely necessary and one that we very rarely see on our screens.
Trailer:
There are a rare number of films that leave you rattled after viewing. Whether it’s the direction, the writing or the acting, there is a piece of the film that stays with you moments and days after you watch. This is exactly what I felt when watching Netflix acquired “Pieces of a Woman.” The raw and gripping drama came out of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with high praise. Directed by Kornél Mundruczó in his first English-language film, the curated drama surrounds a family grappling with a sudden and drastic loss of a child.
Very quickly at the start of the film, we see Martha (Vanessa Kirby) and Sean (Shia LaBeof) preparing for the arrival of their new baby girl, opting for a home birth away from the hospital with a midwife scheduled to help deliver. Their night is thrown into a tailspin when the midwife that they were planning to use calls to say that she cannot make it and instead will send in a replacement. Already on edge preparing for the arrival of their first child, the flustered midwife fails to recognize the complications associated with the delivery. Failing to act quickly enough or calling for assistance, the baby’s heart rate immediately begins to plummet.
The first thirty minutes of the movie are dedicated to showing the raw and realistic nature of childbirth and the physical toll it has on the mother and the father as they grapple to understand what is needed to chart a successful delivery. The viewing is not for the faint of heart, its gritty and powerful and you are left with a hole in your chest, knowing the outcome.
The film aims to question, how do you comprehend the sudden and dramatic loss of a child so shortly after child birth? The body doesn’t know that the child did not survive and that constant reminder doesn’t just go away. The film covers approximately six months, starting from the day that their baby is due and through the inevitably fall out after. As each of the months go by, we are entering a different perspective and evaluation into Martha and Sean and how they are working to cope through their trauma.
In a stunning film debut, Kirby (previously known for playing Princess Margaret in "The Crown") gives an intensely physical performance that is sure to stay with you past the two hour and eight-minute run-time. After the birth, the numbness portrayed on her face and in her movements is heart-wrenching, carrying the weight of their decision and its repercussions on her shoulders. Her mother (Ellen Burstyn) is convinced in prosecution, making the midwife pay for the results of her incompetency. Encouraging her daughter Martha to engage, we see Martha retreat from the controversy, not wanting to participate in the prosecution, not wanting the reminder of the night and what they lost.
Shia LaBeouf gives a grounded, riveting and believable performance as Sean, Martha’s husband. The blue-collar nature of his personality communicated on screen and connects to his mind-set. If something is broken, you fix it, by any means necessary – this mentality causes him to struggle to understand how to connect, engage with anyone in the family after the loss of their daughter.
** With the sudden controversy surrounding Shia LaBeouf’s domestic abuse allegations, I would be remiss not to mention that this did clout his performance for me. Kirby filed a comment on the on-going investigation as well stating that she “Stand[s] with All Survivors of Abuse.” As do I.
It is impossible to understand the drastic nature of this traumatic event and the film seeks to show that there is no one way to react and no one is responsible for these actions. Everyone has their own way to heal to move forward, we see much different paths between Martha and Sean who both grieve privately instead of together and in their own way.
Piece of a Woman has been receiving high praises and will most likely be featured at the Academy Awards. Buzz has been circulating around Kirby’s vulnerable performance in Lead Actress category and Ellen Burstyn for Supporting Actress.
Be prepared to buckle down for this watch, but please don’t shy away from it. It is an intensely vulnerable and grueling look at loss, from the female perspective, something I think we so rarely get to see on our screens.
Film Score: [B+]
And that’s the sitch.
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