Pieces of a Woman

 3/4

Starring: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Ellen Burstyn, Molly Parker, Sarah Snook

Rated R for Language, Sexual Content, Graphic Nudity and Brief Drug Use

In general, people watch movies for entertainment.  That word implies joy or fun, neither of which apply when describing "Pieces of a Woman."  Those who watch movies strictly to have a good time should not bother with this film.  This is a drama, and a bleak one at that.  It hits you in the gut and leaves you reeling.

Martha (Kirby) is a young woman who is expecting to give birth to her first baby any day now.  She and her boyfriend Sean (LaBeouf) have decided on a home birth rather than going to a hospital.  Their preferred midwife, Barbara, is busy with another delivery, so Eva (Parker) comes in her place.  Things seem to be going smoothly, but things take a turn for the worse.  The child dies shortly after birth, and the survivors are left to pick up the pieces.

The first hour of this film is riveting.  The birth scene, a segment that lasts for an unbroken half hour, is riveting and shows the talents and commitment of Shia LaBeouf, Molly Parker, and especially Vanessa Kirby.  Many actresses have had scenes where they play characters giving birth, but few show as much of themselves (physically and emotionally) as Kirby.

Once the unthinkable happens, Kirby and LaBeouf do excellent jobs showing their grief.  Neither knows what to do next.  Martha tries (unsuccessfully) to ignore it while Sean clings to every memory and memento.  The fractures that were present before have become gulfs that are impossible to bridge.  This isn't new material for a tragedy like this, but the strength of the performances gives it power.

Unfortunately, once this is established, the film doesn't really know where to go.  Director Kornel Mundruczo loses focus, and as a result the film's intensity and power weakens.  Clearly, he wants to explore how Martha moves on from the tragedy, but he uses three avenues to explore it: her failing relationship with Sean, her complicated relationship with her mother Elizabeth (Burstyn), and Eva's trial for manslaughter.  The problem is that none of these tangents are explored fully, and the message he wants to covey with them becomes muddled.  Either they needed more time to breathe, or he should have narrowed the film's focus (my vote would lean towards the latter).

Much of the film's power comes from the strength of the acting.  Vanessa Kirby is getting Oscar buzz for her performance in this film, and it's deserved.  Martha does not know what to do with herself, but she can only bury the pain for so long.  It would have been easy for her to externalize her emotions to show what she is feeling, but she, like the film, internalizes it.  Therein lies the power of her performance.  Shia LaBeouf has a little trouble submerging his star power into his character, but he too has moments that are just as good.  Ellen Burstyn is also intriguing as Martha's mother.  Although Elizabeth is on the cusp of dementia (there are echoes of her brilliant turn in "Requiem for a Dream"), she shows us enough of the woman to get a sense of who she was, and that drives the film's third act.  Elizabeth is a monster, but at least I was able to understand where she was coming from.

"Pieces of a Woman" grips the viewer in ways that only tragedies can.  They aren't pleasant experiences to sit through, but they're good for the soul.  I just wish that the film could have kept its focus narrow.  And I could have done without the final three scenes.  They feel dishonest not because they are tacked on happy endings, but because they betray what has come before.

In the end, however, I do recommend the film because of the strength of the performances.