‘She smelled like an apple…’
Grief is tough. The ghost at the feast. The imposter circling the party ready to strike at any moment. Grief never leaves of course, it just becomes more familiar. More manageable (but never fully managed). Pieces of a Woman is an intimate portrait of the effects of grief and the lies we tell ourselves to make it through the day. And sure, it’s tough as all hell, but it’s a genuinely moving and often wondrous work. A film to get lost in…
When a home birth ends in an unfathomable tragedy, young mother Martha (Vanessa Kirby) and her partner Sean (Shia LaBeouf) must attempt to come to terms with an uncertain future.
All the focus on Pieces of a Woman will undoubtedly be on the utterly astonishing and heart-breaking opening scene. Not only is it a masterclass in technical proficiency, it’s also an incredibly difficult scene to sit through, a scene that is elevated by a pair of gut wrenching performances from LaBeouf and particularly from Kirby who was unlucky to come up against Carey Mulligan and Frances McDormand at the 2021 Oscars. Those unforgettable opening moments set the scene for what is, at times, an incredibly grim movie. The cast leave absolutely nothing on the turf with LaBeouf reminding us once again that while he is troubled, there is no denying that he can be a great actor when he wants to be.
The supporting cast do their bit as well with Sarah Snook channelling a slightly less aggressive version of Shiv Roy as well meaning lawyer Suzanne, and Ellen Burstyn perfectly symbolising the idiom that the road to hell is paved with good intentions in her portrayal as Martha’s interfering mother Elizabeth.
Pieces of a Woman will be too graphic for some, but for those that can stomach it, there is plenty here to ensure that Kornél Mundruczó’s film will go down as one of the best of 2021. Just don’t make me watch it again…