Pieces of a Woman: a one-woman show

SPOIL ALERT!

A long, curvy photo, presumably, taken all at once. We see the character of Vanessa Kirby, Martha, doing the gestures of childbirth. It’s an awkward and uncomfortable experience as a viewer, and I mean that in the best sense of the word. Thanks to Kirby’s strong skills, even though I didn’t feel his physical pain, I could feel the character’s discomfort. His long moans, confusion and curses added to the scene which was already believable in the word go thanks to the actor’s body language. It’s that feeling of credibility, that feeling of something gnawing at your guts that Kirby puts forward with director Kornél Mundruczó Pieces of a Woman.

Also starring Shia LaBeouf and Ellen Burstyn in major parts, Pieces of a Woman is a complex and poignant image of heartbreak that is brought to life by Vanessa Kirby’s powerful performance. What helps it a lot is the fact that Pieces of a Woman is a character driven movie, not a storyline. The tale is simple and predictable for T. What elevates him is Martha Weiss’ plump and painfully drawn sketch. A strong and independent woman who takes back her pieces after suffering an irrevocable loss.

After learning of her child’s death, Martha endures her pain like a stoic. She still has a stone face, cool and calm. She doesn’t want a funeral. She doesn’t want to remember the pain. She becomes his pain. Numb and wounded silently like a warrior. Sometimes like a cruel warrior who can’t bother to listen to those close to her. Everything, everyone is a blur. Now these are tough times for an actor. Moaning, letting the feelings out may seem like the obvious thing to do, and maybe even the easiest and most “ natural ” course of action. But because Martha is like a wall, Kirby has to be too. It must express itself without expressing itself. A difficult task for an artist, and one that Vanessa Kirby has. This feat becomes more incredible once you learn that Kirby herself has never given birth or experienced motherhood. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor revealed that she was able to watch a woman give birth and that’s how she was able to do what she did in the opening minutes of the film. “It was the most incredible generous act and I knew I could never have started playing it without really witnessing what it really is,” Kirby said.

Pieces of a Woman is a mostly silent movie. There are only a few dramatic exchanges. Silence, symbols and Martha are the three main ingredients of the film. Martha’s silence after the loss, Martha’s symbolism preserving apple seeds, drying plants, unwashed and stacked plates in her house, unkempt hair and calm but provocative laughter – these are the constituents of the film Kornél Mundruczó. If you can sit in silence and watch the cues of a woman’s fraying, Pieces of a Woman is the movie for you.

Also starring Iliza Shlesinger and Molly Parker, Pieces of a Woman is streaming on Netflix.