Pieces of a Woman (2021)
Vanessa Kirby gives a career defining performance in this emotionally gruelling drama.
What is Pieces of a Woman about?
Martha’s long-awaited delivery arrives and ends with a home birth gone tragically wrong. Shattered by grief, she finds herself isolated from her partner and mother.
Where can you watch Pieces of a Woman?
It’s available on Netflix (including Netflix SA).
Trigger Warnings:
Partial male and female nudity | Bad language | A traumatic birth scene that could be triggering.
Note: This review also contains mild spoilers.
My review of Pieces of a Woman
I try to avoid critics’ reviews before I watch a film, solely because they can influence my opinion on the movie and I like to go in with an open-mind. Nevertheless, I caught snippets of news when it came to this movie: Kirby is brilliant, but the movie falls short.
For me, Kirby is the reason I wanted to see it. For those of you who might recognise her name, she had roles in Mission Impossible: Fallout and Hobbs & Shaw, and more notably portrayed a young Princess Margaret in seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown. I love her as an actress, and I looked forward to seeing her tackle this latest role. Now I can confirm: She does not disappoint.
Vanessa Kirby in Pieces of a Woman | from The New York Times
Kirby is phenomenal. She never falters in what is - for the entire 2 hour long duration of the movie - an intensely physical role (Martha speaks very little, so it’s on Kirby to convey the character’s emotions through her body. Which she does). She’s dynamic, soulful, and hits every beat of Martha’s journey with tight body language, subtle facial expressions, and breathtaking vulnerability. She seizes this role with every fibre of her being, and you feel close to her in every scene. It’s an Oscar worthy performance, for sure. I hope she’s at least honoured with a nomination.
Shia LaBeouf is also outstanding. We watch Sean and Martha’s relationship unravel as grief divides them, and we see the stark difference in how each of them deals with that grief. I appreciated that contrast (it’s so sensitively and insightfully done), and how both Kirby and LaBeouf give such honest, raw portrayals of the characters’ individual experiences and personal battles.
Another thing I love about this movie is the cinematography and art direction. The use of colour is excellent, varying from the chilling, muted charcoal and grey-blues of Sean’s construction site to the warm, earthy tones in the Weiss’ house, to the striking pop of red used purposefully in certain scenes and costumes throughout the movie - against cool urban backgrounds and scenery - to convey the sense of isolation Martha (and sometimes Sean) experience.
The cinematography is stunning. One of the very first scenes in the movie is the labor, and it is filmed in a single shot. This creates such an immersive and intimate experience for the viewer, as we’re constantly locked into the characters’ point of views and seized by their intense emotions. It’s a mesmerising scene. Heartbreaking, beautifully acted, and emotionally gruelling.
Shia LaBeouf and Vanessa Kirby in Pieces of a Woman | from Variety
However, Pieces of a Woman does disappoint in some aspects. The dialogue is clumsy at times, the movie is too long, (over 2 hours), and no scene before or after is as powerful, well-shot, and impactful as the labor scene.
There are also some moments where the plot loses momentum and undercuts the powerful subtlety of the story. For example, when Martha’s mother (played brilliantly by Ellen Burstyn) bribes Sean to leave Martha and never come back (which he does). Or, the ending scene which takes place years later and Martha now has a daughter who’s at least five years old and is playing in an apple tree (apples are featured throughout the movie).
Scenes like these are contrived. They’re also too unnatural and obvious, especially in a movie powered by subtle, profound performances. They spoil the script.
Have you seen Pieces of a Woman? What did you think of it?