Pieces of a Woman (B or 3/4 stars)
'Pieces of a Woman' (made by Hungarian filmmakers'; Kornel Mundruczo & Kata Weber) follows Bostonian married couple, Martha (Vanessa Kirby) & Sean (Shia LeBeouf), as they handle the last few days of Martha's pregnancy & her ardent desire to give birth at home with their midwife, Barbara. When the time for delivery comes, however, Barbara is unavailable; so Eve (Molly Parker) arrives in her place. Though Eve is competent, Martha had wished for Barbara. But that minor annoyance fades as the intense process of childbirth begins. Sean looks on helplessly as Martha struggles to push out their infant girl. Martha expels grunts, groans & shrieks of agony in btwn. brief respites. Yet, despite great pain, things seem to be going well.
But when the baby's heartbeat is weaker than expected following a contraction, Eve decides that this delivery must happen fast; she also tells Sean to call 911. But alas, after a 24 minute - and filmed in a grueling one-shot sequence - unimaginable trauma & tragedy unfolds. Their baby, Yvette, dies minutes after birth, leaving a psychological aftermath where Martha & Sean must cope with the loss of a child, their hopes & dreams. What follows is an 8 month process where the once-lovingly married couple attempt to deal with their grief & life choices -- as well as Martha's well-meaning, but overbearing mother, Elizabeth (Ellen Burstyn). Martha's anguish is palpable. So many women have suffered loss like this, and with no one to turn to or make sense of their suffering. For me, this is the main theme of the hit-&-miss 'Pieces of a Woman'. How can Martha adjust? Will grief overtake the marriage? Will her tenuous relationship with her controlling mother improve or worsen? What to do, if anything, about midwife Eve? Can she ... overcome? There are powerful insights here in the film, but no solutions.
Vanessa Kirby - having made splashes in Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Hobbs & Shaw & The Crown - is marvelous, here. Since Kirby has no children, it was imperative for her to learn about the child birthing process and, well, she provides compelling & devastating authenticity in the 1st half hour. Kirby also has a great talent for expressing so much through silence. Even when she appears to be doing nothing, Kirby is worth watching. And even when she does explode, it's controlled. I mentioned above that 'Pieces of a Woman' is about the anguish one feels, particularly when they can't make sense of their suffering. So, too, is the film a testament to the bond a mother instantly feels with her newborn child. Martha refers to the baby as her 'daughter' while everyone else calls her 'the baby'. And later, during the dramatic court conclusion, Kirby quietly knocked me out with a slow, specific description of what she was feeling holding her baby, Yvette. Wow.
Shia LaBeouf also gives a stellar performance; Sean's blue-collar roughness + Martha's reserved nature lends an interesting yin & yang which still shows palpable marital chemistry. LaBeouf is AS convincing as the distressed father of his baby, as he is falling back to his dependencies; including sex addiction, which he acts out with Martha's cousin, Suzanne (Sarah Snook). Suzanne is a lawyer hired by Elizabeth (Burstyn), who believes that the midwife must be held accountable in court. Burstyn is fantastic, here. She looks nothing like her age of 87. And she can still deliver powerful & poignant lines of dialogue with emotional exactitude. 'Pieces of a Woman' takes place in Boston but was film in both Montreal & Norway, of all places. But that's not a distraction. In fact, the cinematographer made great use of those stunning locales; which put me in a satisfyingly chilly mood to match the turbulent emotions onscreen. I also admired Howard Shore's comforting music score.
Now, 'Pieces of a Woman' won't be for everyone. If you're looking for light entertainment, forget it. And if you have ever suffered a great loss, then this movie may be way too painful to witness - OR - perhaps it could help? Just warning you. This film is also uneven. After the gripping 1st half hour, it never again rekindles that "can't tear you eyes from the screen" energy. The midsection which focuses on Martha & Sean's marriage is muddled. And the last 3rd which focuses on the contrived courtroom scenes + a lighter, hopeful ending doesn't quite jive with the rest of the proceedings. Still, despite the shortcomings, this is a well acted, well shot character study that tackles love, loss, & the idea that most of the time, people need to grieve alone.
But when the baby's heartbeat is weaker than expected following a contraction, Eve decides that this delivery must happen fast; she also tells Sean to call 911. But alas, after a 24 minute - and filmed in a grueling one-shot sequence - unimaginable trauma & tragedy unfolds. Their baby, Yvette, dies minutes after birth, leaving a psychological aftermath where Martha & Sean must cope with the loss of a child, their hopes & dreams. What follows is an 8 month process where the once-lovingly married couple attempt to deal with their grief & life choices -- as well as Martha's well-meaning, but overbearing mother, Elizabeth (Ellen Burstyn). Martha's anguish is palpable. So many women have suffered loss like this, and with no one to turn to or make sense of their suffering. For me, this is the main theme of the hit-&-miss 'Pieces of a Woman'. How can Martha adjust? Will grief overtake the marriage? Will her tenuous relationship with her controlling mother improve or worsen? What to do, if anything, about midwife Eve? Can she ... overcome? There are powerful insights here in the film, but no solutions.
Vanessa Kirby - having made splashes in Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Hobbs & Shaw & The Crown - is marvelous, here. Since Kirby has no children, it was imperative for her to learn about the child birthing process and, well, she provides compelling & devastating authenticity in the 1st half hour. Kirby also has a great talent for expressing so much through silence. Even when she appears to be doing nothing, Kirby is worth watching. And even when she does explode, it's controlled. I mentioned above that 'Pieces of a Woman' is about the anguish one feels, particularly when they can't make sense of their suffering. So, too, is the film a testament to the bond a mother instantly feels with her newborn child. Martha refers to the baby as her 'daughter' while everyone else calls her 'the baby'. And later, during the dramatic court conclusion, Kirby quietly knocked me out with a slow, specific description of what she was feeling holding her baby, Yvette. Wow.
Shia LaBeouf also gives a stellar performance; Sean's blue-collar roughness + Martha's reserved nature lends an interesting yin & yang which still shows palpable marital chemistry. LaBeouf is AS convincing as the distressed father of his baby, as he is falling back to his dependencies; including sex addiction, which he acts out with Martha's cousin, Suzanne (Sarah Snook). Suzanne is a lawyer hired by Elizabeth (Burstyn), who believes that the midwife must be held accountable in court. Burstyn is fantastic, here. She looks nothing like her age of 87. And she can still deliver powerful & poignant lines of dialogue with emotional exactitude. 'Pieces of a Woman' takes place in Boston but was film in both Montreal & Norway, of all places. But that's not a distraction. In fact, the cinematographer made great use of those stunning locales; which put me in a satisfyingly chilly mood to match the turbulent emotions onscreen. I also admired Howard Shore's comforting music score.
Now, 'Pieces of a Woman' won't be for everyone. If you're looking for light entertainment, forget it. And if you have ever suffered a great loss, then this movie may be way too painful to witness - OR - perhaps it could help? Just warning you. This film is also uneven. After the gripping 1st half hour, it never again rekindles that "can't tear you eyes from the screen" energy. The midsection which focuses on Martha & Sean's marriage is muddled. And the last 3rd which focuses on the contrived courtroom scenes + a lighter, hopeful ending doesn't quite jive with the rest of the proceedings. Still, despite the shortcomings, this is a well acted, well shot character study that tackles love, loss, & the idea that most of the time, people need to grieve alone.