PIECES OF A WOMAN | FILM REVIEW
Dir: Kornel Mundruczo (15, 127 mins)
A gruelling examination of childbirth and tragedy, with brilliant performances and a 25-minute, one-take scene near its opening which immersively takes the viewer through the rollercoaster of a home birth. Vanessa Kirby and Shia Leboeuf are Martha and Sean, the couple trying to pick up the pieces after the events of the birth; Leboeuf is a recovering addict, Kirby is detached trying to focus on other things. They seek ‘justice’ for what happened to their baby, debating whether to bring charges against the midwife present at the home birth, played by Molly Parker.
A year-long exploration of grief unfolds as the fractures in all the family relationships are laid bare. Laboeuf and Kirby deal with it in different ways. He is more openly emotional, seeking solace in the arms of another – a lawyer and family cousin, played by Succession’s Sarah Snook. She is bottled up, lost, occasionally lashing out at her domineering mother (played by Ellen Burstyn) and placatory sister (Iliza Schlesinger). Inevitably, Sean and Martha’s relationship deteriorates, a deeply uncomfortable attempt at sex painfully illustrating this, and the prosecution of the midwife at the centre of the tragedy becomes a focus – but is it the right one?
Kirby is superb as the woman in the centre of this storm of grief, battling her own feelings and those of people around her, all of whom have ideas about how she should be behaving. Always believable, anchoring the film after dabbling in the action world with Hobbs & Shaw and Mission Impossible, supporting cast members are equally good, detailed performances utilising Kata Weber’s script under Mundruczo’s English-language debut direction. Pieces Of A Woman is not an easy watch, but a rewarding one, with Kirby hypnotic amidst the emotional maelstrom.
Available on Netflix from Thurs 7 Jan
words KEIRON SELF