Pieces of a Woman

PIECES OF A WOMAN (2020)

Playwright Kata Wéber’s Pieces of a Woman is the very simple portrait of a couple falling apart amid the grief of losing their baby after a traumatic home birth. It’s so intimate you can imagine it done on stage with just a couple of chairs.

I probably shouldn’t have watched this on what is known as the most depressing Monday of the year. If you like observing people in absolute agony in real time for 30 minutes this is for you. And this is all pre-credits. Not unlike a horror film, it is quite the opener.

What follows are episodic glimpses as the months shuffle forward during an unforgiving Boston winter. We voyeuristically spy on both parents as they live with their anguish but with the titular spotlight on Vanessa Kirby. Stripped of her bouffant brunette wig, elegant gowns and playing second fiddle to her sister in The Crown, she unearths genuine authenticity. Her confusion of her unfathomable circumstance and resentment of people dominating her grief is painfully relatable. Sometimes you just need space. Likewise, if you’re going through this as a couple what can you do when one demands isolation and the other needs to share? It’s impossible. And their performances articulate this dilemma exquisitely.

It’s a shame Shia LaBeouf has befouled his vowel-friendly name because he does a good turn as well. And he provides an always interesting conversation about how men can be so easily sidelined or their feelings dismissed when it comes to children.

Kirby is garnering early Oscar buzz, as is legend Ellen Burstyn as her spirited broad of a mother. But there’s another great performance in Molly Parker as the maligned midwife. The subtle note of fear she emits when she first spots things aren’t as they should be is delicious. I found her captivating throughout her short screen time. As a side note I realised I can handle the harrowing scenes just fine,  thank you, but what really riles me is the all too often knee-jerk reaction to get litigious. Anyway.

Despite the tormenting subject matter director Kornél Mundruczó serves a beautifully artistic film with plenty of symbolism to occupy you during the long silences. I’ve never been more aware of apples or houseplants. It’s a tough watch but it’s a performance film. This isn’t Julia Roberts’ upbeat Oscar winning turn in Erin Brokovich. If you’re in the mood for something deep and fancy a good cry this is for you. Maybe line up an episode of your favourite sitcom after it.

8 Traumatic Thumbs Up!