It is never easy to talk about losing a loved one, let alone losing a child. Yet in Netflix's new film, Pieces of a Woman, that's exactly what filmmakers Kornel Mundruczo and Kata Weber do. Pieces of a Woman follows the story of Sean (Shia LaBeouf) and Martha (Vanessa Kirby) as they go from a happy Bostonian couple on the brink of having a daughter to a couple in mourning following a home delivery that results in a stillbirth.
The story is partially based on the personal tragedy of the filmmakers, who are themselves a couple. While Pieces of a Woman has been deservedly praised for its masterful performances and strong themes, it's no secret that this Oscar contender also has some shortcomings.
Could Have Done Better: The Boston Setting
Although Boston serves as an important backdrop in this film, it never feels quite like the real Boston. Beantown has long been the city of choice for films - including Oscar winners Spotlight and The Departed - but the difference between those films and Pieces of a Woman is that Boston is always seen, felt, and heard.
In Pieces of a Woman, not a single character even has a Boston accent! If you're going to set a movie in one of the most iconic locations in America, it's best you make it known.
Did Right: The Tragedy
Even though this film is hinged on a singular event - the loss of an infant - most of the film takes place after that tragedy. Yet, the ramifications are felt in every scene thereafter, pressed upon every character, every moment filled with reminders, from Martha's coworkers awkwardly staying out of her way to the overly sympathetic family friend who breaks down crying at the sight of Martha in a grocery store.
It's difficult enough to pull off a tragedy on film, but to capture the way tragedy takes the air out of the room, that's an entirely different achievement.
Could Have Done Better: Utilizing Molly Parker
When Martha goes into labor, it's up to her partner, Sean, to get their midwife there for her delivery. Unfortunately, the midwife they had planned to deliver their baby with was preoccupied with another delivery, so instead comes Eva (Molly Parker), another recommended midwife.
Eva is the closest to an antagonist Pieces of a Woman has, as she is deemed responsible for the stillbirth. Unfortunately, after the first half-hour, audiences don't see Eva again until the end of the film. Molly Parker is phenomenal in her role and is given this important character for a reason, but she isn't given the proper screentime to run with it. If Parker were given more time to shine, her character arc at the end would feel even more cathartic.
Did Right: The Rest Of The Supporting Cast
While Molly Parker's screentime was cut too short, the rest of the supporting cast was given more than enough time to leave their mark on the film. Iliza Shlesinger and Benny Safdie stand out as Martha's sister and brother-in-law. Sarah Snook ties the legal drama and the family drama together as the cousin representing Martha, while also sleeping with her partner, Sean.
But the real winner in the supporting cast - and who will soon be eligible for an Academy Award win - is Ellen Burstyn, as Martha's mother and Sean's toxic mother-in-law. Burstyn steals the show and will be a sure-fire Supporting Actress nominee in the months to come.
Could Have Done Better: The Trial Drama
Most of the film takes place during the dramatic public trial of Eva, the midwife, however, if it weren't for flashes of her face on television screens, audiences wouldn't even know the trial was taking place. It isn't until the end of the trial that Martha can bring herself to attend, which means it's the first time audiences get to see the courtroom, as well.
While following Martha's character arc is of the utmost importance, that doesn't have to come at the expense of following the narrative arc surrounding Eva's trial. Those storylines should exist separately, which would highlight the moments when they cross paths and accentuate the emotional toll on all the characters involved. Showing audiences the public trial would only make them more invested, but instead, they are left increasingly detached from the events following Martha's tragic stillbirth.
Did Right: The Metaphors
The film opens with Sean, a construction worker, at work on a new bridge over Boston Harbour - a construction project that gets cut to throughout the film as a representation that time has passed. As the bridge comes closer and closer to connecting, so too does Martha come closer to finding peace.
It is one of a few beautiful metaphors that permeate the film. A larger and more prescient metaphor is that of the apple. Martha says that her newborn daughter smells of apples, a scent that sticks with her after her loss. For the rest of the movie, Martha grows apple seeds as a form of therapy. By the end of the movie, not only does Martha seek to walk over the bridge, but she hopes to have an apple tree bearing fruit. These metaphors are delicately handled and beautifully executed, and if nothing else, they show the true visionary work of the filmmakers.
Could Have Done Better: Depicting Addiction
A subplot of the film that takes up a startling amount of screentime is Sean's rehabilitation from drugs and alcohol and his relapse following the stillbirth of his daughter. While this is as delicate an issue as any, in Pieces of a Woman, it isn't treated as anything more than a cartoonish stereotype: Sean loses his daughter, Sean starts drinking, Sean starts using hard drugs, Sean leaves. There is little nuance in the depiction of relapse and drug abuse, a topic in film and in real life that Shia LaBeouf is all too familiar with.
This is yet another storyline that could've been more thoroughly explored to add depth to the film and a larger humanity to one of the main characters. Instead, the film portrays Sean as just another one-dimensional, drug-addicted man leaving his partner, a trope too often found in cinema.
Did Right: The Opening Sequence
The first half-hour of Pieces of a Woman is as gut-wrenching and devastating of an opening sequence as audiences will ever find. The majority of this opening scene, which takes the film all the way to the title card, is a single 22-minute shot of Martha giving birth. The cinematography is personal and fluid, making audiences feel like they're following the characters from room to room, from contraction to contraction.
Obviously, giving birth (for most) takes more than half an hour. However, at no point does the opening sequence feel rushed or unrealistic. On the contrary, the scene feels all too real, a crushing experience, not just for Martha and Sean, but for the audience, as well.
Could Have Done Better: Shia LaBeouf's Troubling Scenes
The allegations of abuse from Shia LaBeouf's former partners broke before the release of Pieces of a Woman, which means it was too late to recast and reshoot his scenes in the film, but it wasn't too late to leave some of his scenes on the cutting-room floor. There are points in the film that are difficult for many to watch with these allegations in mind, namely when Sean forces himself on Martha, physically pressuring her to have sex.
It's an uncomfortable scene - as it is meant to be - but the recent news makes scenes of abuse featuring Shia LaBeouf even harder to watch. His costars and the production crew behind Pieces of a Woman have since given their own public comments on the matter, but that doesn't make the scenes any easier to swallow.
Did Right: Vanessa Kirby's Performance
Vanessa Kirby delivers, not just the best performance of her career, but possibly the best performance of 2020. Kirby is in nearly every scene of this film, and in every scene, she is giving it her all. The reviews about her performance have been promising, propelling her to the forefront of the nominees for Best Actress coming into Oscar season.
It takes a rare grace and maturity to take the personal tragedy of another and translate it on to the screen, but it's a talent that Kirby undeniably has. After such a powerful performance, Vanessa Kirby will be wearing this feather in her cap for the rest of her career, and she deserves to.