Pieces of a Woman

Starring: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Ellen Burstyn, Iliza Shlesinger, Benny Safdie, Sarah Snook, Molly Parker, Steven McCarthy
Directed by: Kornel Mundruczo
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After a home birth ends in tragedy, a couple (Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf) struggle to piece their lives back together.

Review:

Tim: In 2020, I've been desperate to find great movies. The pandemic obviously played havoc with the release schedule, so it's been a bit of a barren year. Thankfully, Kornel Mundruczo's Pieces of a Woman emerges as one of the best films of the film. This is a hard movie to watch and one I'm not sure I'd want to see again, but it's a great film.

I was a really big fan of Mundruczo's 2014 film, White God. It was ambitious, yet rarely seen in the United States. It was certainly an unexpected film. He delivers another movie with significant depth here. I appreciated that Mundruczo's film doesn't pander to the audience. It challenges your patience, it hints at something deeper, but it never forces its answers upon you. It delivers some of the most powerful moments in subtle ways, forcing you to think deeper about the movie. I certainly enjoyed the movie while watching it, but it wasn't until after the film, reflecting on what I'd seen, that I truly considered it great. I suspect many viewers won't want to do this. It wouldn't surprise me if this movie doesn't garner quite as much award acclaim as it should. More accessible movies (and those with less controversy) will likely emerge as the season's front runners.

The easiest way I've seen to characterize this movie is a "home birth gone wrong" film. That's a brutal summary, but it's fairly accurate. The movie opens with a mesmerizing home birth scene that spans the first 30 minutes of the film. This opening is truly remarkable, one of the most uncomfortable, uncompromising scenes I've seen in a long time. I've been fortunate enough to have two kids with my wife (in a hospital, for the record) and I can speak from some experience that Mundruczo captures so much of the reality of those moments. Your body is racked with feelings- pure excitement and expectation, but also crushing terror. It feels like the most important moment of your life has been completely taken out of your hands- and it's God, or life, or fate that will decide what the rest of your life looks like. It's a remarkable, frightening time. That is all depicted here, from both the main characters. Obviously, it ends in the most horrible way possible. By the time the opening scene ends and the title flashes up, it feels like we've emotionally been through the wringer, and then we still have the rest of the movie to get through. This is clearly not a movie designed to make it easy on the audience. It's remarkable, though.

The cast is superb. The standout is clearly Vanessa Kirby. I've only been familiar with Kirby in small, uninspiring roles in big action movies. It was incredible to see so much of her here. She gives a raw, emotional performance that challenges the audience. I appreciated that her character wasn't always portrayed as sympathetic- that wasn't the objective here. Kirby is portraying a broken, lost woman. In her performance, she grates on our nerves, she seems unfair at times (perhaps this is just from my male perspective). Yet, she's always true to who her character is and how she's coping in the face of unspeakable tragedy. She scored the film's only Golden Globes nomination, and I think it would be an outrage if she wasn't nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. She's fantastic.

Shia LaBeouf is excellent, too. I wish I could spend my time here waxing on about his incredible acting talent. LaBeouf is truly an excellent actor. Unfortunately, it's also a deeply troubled one. Any awards discussion around him was demolished when the allegations of his abusiveness in relationships emerged. I can't say I'm surprised, honestly. LaBeouf certainly seems like he has more than his share of demons. It's sad, because he could have been such a rare talent. I'll just say that from an acting perspective, he delivers one of his best performances ever here.

I have to applaud Ellen Burstyn, too. She's tremendous in her supporting role. It's hard for me to think about an actress who so routinely delivers exceptional performances in the latter stages of her career. She always does it quietly, but she makes such an impact. She absolutely should get an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She's difficult and frustrating as her character, but her performance is top notch. It was nice seeing Benny Safdie here, and Sarah Snook adds a strong performance, too. I was a big fan of Molly Parker in her House of Cards days and she delivers a small but crucial performance here. The cast was truly effective.

While I deeply appreciated this movie, it was a few things at the end that really pulled everything together in a brilliant way and catapulted this film to greatness. I'll be vague here, but SPOILERS, just in case. There's some incredible, subtle aspects of the film that make a big difference. The bridge is one of them, and it quietly leads to a powerful moment near the end. The hat is such a small detail, but it matters. The one that I have to comment on, just so I personally never forget it, are the apples. I have to admit, I didn't get it during the movie (as expected), and then there's a line that shattered me. I'm a little teary-eyed now just thinking about it. That's when the movie became genius to me. I give writer Kata Weber so much credit for pulling these various themes together into something truly brilliant. She channeled her own pain and loss and that shows up throughout this emotional movie. The story comes full circle and delivers it's knockout punch right at the end.

Pieces of a Woman is a great movie. I'm a bit worried LaBeouf's controversy will hurt the film's chances at awards. It deserves acclaim, though. It's absolutely one of the best films of 2020.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Manchester by the Sea, Promising Young Woman