Reviewing "Pieces Of A Woman": A heartbreaking drama elevated by amazing performances

Pieces Of A Woman is a drama film directed by Kornél Mundruczó and written by Kata Wéber. It stars Vanessa Kirby as Martha, Shia LaBeouf as Martha's partner Sean, and Ellen Burstyn as Elizabeth, Martha's mother. It is a deeply affecting and emotionally intense drama centered around the aftermath of the tragic stillbirth of Martha and Sean's daughter. The at-times heart wrenching and doubtlessly sincere performances from everyone involved are what make the film so great. The cinematography, especially in the opening act, feels intimate, as if you were peering into the lives of the characters as they navigate the uncomfortable fallout from the inciting incident, all the way to the sad-yet hopeful finale.

The acting is impeccable. Vanessa Kirby, best known for being Princess Margaret in the first 2 seasons of The Crown, delivers what is probably the best performance of her career, especially in the standout sequence near the beginning of the film where Martha begins to go into labor and wrestles with the accompanying pain and discomfort in a very realistic and believable manner, before going into the bedroom to give birth to her daughter, who unfortunately dies soon after birth. From then on, Martha's character and Kirby's performance show a woman broken down by grief, feeling hopeless, helpless and unsure, keeping a lot of feelings bottled up. Shia LaBeouf gave a very good performance as well, portraying a similarly grief-stricken Sean, more open with his emotions and trying to reach out to his distant girlfriend while both remained silent about their shared grief, unable to talk about it in any therapeutic way at all.

The cinematography is superb and the initial home birth sequence is definitely a highlight of the film, being a one shot long take of Martha, Sean, and the midwife Eva trying to prepare for the home birth, going through the procedure, and ultimately delivering the sadly stillborn child. The sequence is not only technically well done, but also helps the audience feel like they are a part of the scene, becoming fully immersed and invested, and finally, feeling the same loss and devastation the characters feel when the sequence ends. The whole 22-minute scene is, despite it being part of the first act, the centerpiece, the most affecting and tense 22 minutes of the entire film and the events of which reverberate throughout the story. The naturalistic dialogue is also a great addition that clearly helps to make everything flow that much better.

On the other hand, the film can seem quite meandering at times. It really depends on the viewer's mileage, but the middle parts of the film noticeably drag on a little too long with nothing much to show. Kirby and LaBeouf's performances make those slower parts still captivating and enthralling, but those middle parts still felt somewhat empty. However, looking at it from the headspace of the two leads, it is clear that the seeming boredom is what the director and writer hoped to accomplish, to make audiences feel the loss and numbness the characters felt. It worked most of the time, but on occasion, it just felt too slow or hollow, lost in its own sadness. Now, it must be said that the film was inspired by Mundruczó and Wéber's experiences, and it is a very powerfully moving film for the most part. But too much of the same ennui-laden nothingness just seemed unnecessary and led to some apathy on my part. It all seemed too uncomfortably tragic, though the ending does provide a lingering burst of hope as Kirby's character goes through a catharsis and finally begins to work through her traumatic loss.

The film is a fantastic showcase from Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf, a poignant look at grief, the self-destruction that all too often comes in the wake of loss, and how we can begin to heal from that damage even though it may take time and might not always be a clear-cut path without more undue pain. Grief needs to be dealt with, and shying away from it can only lead to more sadness down the road, and yes, not everyone will come out unscathed, but they will largely come out all the better for having confronted the source of grief and achieved understanding or peace.

Score: 9/10