Streaming: Netflix
Warnings:
Graphic Imagery
Domestic Abuse
Drugs
Addiction
Nudity
Rating: R
Pieces of a Woman is a heartbreaking drama that takes the audience on an in-depth, emotional journey of what it’s like to lose a baby. This heartfelt film exposes a world that isn’t often discussed openly in society. Pieces of a woman was adapted from a play of the same name by Kata Wéber and her partner Kornél Mundruczó. Pieces of a Woman is directed by Kornél Mundruczó and the screenplay was written by Kata Wéber, the film takes the audience on a very personal story that is unforgettable. Pieces of a Woman stars Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Molly Parker, Sarah Snook, Iliza Shlesinger, Benny Safdie, Jimmie Fails and Ellen Burstyn. The film had its world premiere in September 2020 at the 77th Venice International Film Festival and Kirby won a Best Actress award. Later, the film was released to select theaters and then was digitally streamed on Netflix in January 2021. Generally, the film received positive reviews, critics especially praised the performances of Kirby, LaBeouf and Burstyn. The elements of this film that stood out most were the acting, the cinematography and the screenplay. The film makes the audience feel extremely uncomfortable at times and other times heartbroken. Even if one doesn’t have a child, this film exposes the heartbreak of losing one. The accolades that Pieces of a Woman received are well deserved.
The first aspect of the film that is interesting is the screenplay. Pieces of a Woman is based on a play which is based on the experience Wéber and Mundruczó underwent when they lost a child of their own due to an unsuccessful pregnancy. In addition to the play and their own experience Wéber and Mundruczó used elements from the trail of the Hungarian midwife Ágnes Geréb. For those of you who do not know of Ágnes Geréb, she is a Hungarian Gynecologist and midwife and the pioneer of father’s participation in deliveries at the hospital and homebirth in Hungary; she has helped deliver 3,500 babies at home. Geréb’s license to practice was revoked and in result of a death of a newborn she was charged with manslaughter relating to an earlier homebirth when a baby died after a difficult labor. She was arrested and faced a long prison sentence; her arrest sparked outrage among activists worldwide. She was later freed from prison and placed under house arrest. She later received a 2-year minimum security prison sentence which was pardoned in 2018 by the President of Hungary. This is an issue that helps drive the story throughout the film, so it is important to note the backstory even though it wasn’t necessarily included. The screenplay approaches incorporating these different elements in an interesting way and the story is incredibly strong in result of that.
The acting is another element of the film that is noteworthy. Kirby does a wonderful job as the main character Martha; the film becomes cerebral and considerate of her emotions and what she’s going through after the loss of her baby. In order to prepare for the role, Kirby spent time shadowing midwives on a maternity ward to learn about the experience of childbirth because she has not given birth herself. She was even allowed to be in a room with a woman who was giving birth at one point. She also watched numerous documentaries and videos to make sure she did the role justice. Shia LaBeouf came up with all of the bad jokes that his character says to calm Martha throughout the film. Another important thing to note is that the actors were not allowed to see the original stage performance, so they were not over influenced. Vanessa Kirby was nominated for a dozen awards and won a few for Best Actress. The film does a wonderful job to showcase the emotional burden that is put on the woman after losing a child and Vanessa Kirby perfectly captured the heartbreak a mother must feel.
The cinematography is breathtaking in Pieces of a Woman; the cinematography was executed by Benjamin Loeb, who is known for Mandy, Hello Destroyer, and Weight of Spring. The cinematography assisted the audience in feeling as if they are alongside the characters, oftentimes the camera would follow the characters when they were going through a difficult moment or if they were contemplating something. This was an interesting choice because the characters faces weren’t always shown and usually that is the first thing focused on when processing a difficult moment. Loeb was extremely dedicated to this film, he physically trained beforehand so that he would have the strength to carry a gimbal-loaded camera for the whole take of the birth scene which lasted 23 minutes. Even though he trained, he still unfortunately injured himself filming this scene. The scene was filmed with one camera six times over two days, four times on one day, and twice the next. The birth scene shot for the film took up over 30 pages of the script. The choice to film the birth scene in a single take stemmed from the play the film is based on, the play featured a live video feed captured by camera which roamed the stage as an additional part of the performance. Loeb said that he wanted that sequence to feel like a “long winded breath.” Loeb chose the gimbal camera because he wanted a “floaty” quality to the scene to represent the baby’s perspective and felt that using a hand-held camera would make it look too much like a documentary. Even though the 23-minute birth scene is one of the longest delivery scenes ever in film, Mundruczó stated that they still cheated reality by shortening the entire emotional rollercoaster of a 10–12-hour delivery. The details included behind the production truly show the dedication to the story and how much it meant to properly represent what happened. The film is incredibly innovative and considerate of the heartbreak mothers go through in deliveries and it is important for films like this to properly represent that.
Pieces of a Woman is not only a tragic film, but it is an unforgettable drama that will forever make the audience view the mother’s sacrifice of birth differently. This film uses important elements of cinema to convey a story that is often overlooked or even avoided. Miscarriages and unsuccessful births are far more common than what is led to believe, and this film does those mothers justice. Pieces of a Woman allows the audience to see the heartache not only the mother feels but a family feels after the loss of a baby. Through the cinematography, the writing and the acting, this film truly creates a masterful tragedy that is remarkable. If you wish to see a film that will show you a raw truth that isn’t often seen, Pieces of a Woman is the film for you.