Review: Vanessa Kirby is a tour de force in "Pieces of a Woman"
Thursday, January 7, 2021 at 3:33PM by Matt St Clair
British thespian Vanessa Kirby has been on a steady rise, having earned an Emmy nomination for playing Princess Margaret on The Crown while kicking action ass in both Mission Impossible: Fallout and Hobbs & Shaw. With Pieces of a Woman, Kirby is finally given a project where she takes center stage and she emerges as the shining star of a picture that’s drenched in darkness due to its distressing subject matter.
The first major sequence in Pieces of a Woman involving Martha's (Kirby) home birth will be a deal-breaker for some viewers...
That's due to its length and tension, strenuously shot in one continuous take by DP Benjamin Loeb, and tragic conclusion. For those who get past that big opening, the rest of Pieces of a Woman doesn’t match the same frenetic tone, yet the shift works to the film's advantage.
[MILD SPOILERS] As Martha and her husband Sean (Shia LaBeouf) deal with the aftermath of the home birth, the now slow-moving picture drags on as a reflection of Martha's sustained heartache, thanks to genius editing by David Jancso. When the midwife (Molly Parker) who aided in the birth is put on trial for criminal negligence, it only adds to Martha's personal crisis as she reluctantly attend the trial as suggested closure. [/SPOILERS]
Vanessa Kirby successfully details how post-partum Martha is a different woman, cut off from her husband and anyone who shows her affection. It’s a soul-bearing portrayal of grief that, without sounding hyperbolic, is akin to Juliette Binoche in Three Colors: Blue. Another performance that won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival.
Aside from a few more demonstrative moments, Kirby's performance involves a lot of quiet observing and processing. But even with just a glance, the talented actress can make us feel the anguish weighing on Martha as with a scene where she’s riding on a train and notices a child making a handprint on the window. It's a small beat that becomes a shattering reminder of what Martha lost.
Within the constraints of her short screen time, Ellen Burstyn is in similar powerhouse form as the overbearing mother Elizabeth. That's especially true in what’s surely her Oscar clip moment where she’s had it with Martha shutting everyone out. She gives a show-stopping monologue in an attempt to force Martha to live through the pain. Outside of that big moment, Burstyn demonstrates a mix of semi-controlling support for Martha and sly hostility towards her son-in-law due to his outsider, working-class status among Martha’s more affluent family. It's wonderful to see the Oscar-winning veteran get another vital role that’s worthy of her talents.
The class conflict is just one of the layers in the sscreenplay by Kata Weber which also attempts to juggle the debate of home vs. hospital births and Martha’s more intimate personal journey. Ultimately, Pieces of a Woman works best when it focuses on Martha’s interior turmoil and path towards recovery, acting as a simple technical and acting exercise. It only really scratches the surface of the other topics it attempts to address. In short, go for Kirby and Burstyn and stay for Kirby and Burstyn. B+
Pieces of a Woman is now streaming on Netflix
Reader Comments (46)
Oh good, can't wait to watch this one. Kirby is a very fine actress. I was lucky enough to see her as Stella in Streetcar at St. Ann's Warehouse a few years ago. She was also good in a tiny role in The Dresser with Anthony Hopkins, and my personal MVP as Princess Margaret in the first two seasons of The Crown.
The plot of this film seems similar to that of Yerma (Billie Piper was AMAZING in the National Theatre production).
When Kirby was with Callum Turner, I always thought of them as the beautiful, tall, smoldering couple.
I can't wait to see what Burtsyn and Kirby do in this.
So excited for this one although I'm bracing myself for a tough first act. Kirby was the best part of The Crown (any season) IMHO, so I'm thrilled to see her get a high-profile film role
I definitely want to see this mainly for Kirby and Burstyn.
I know Labeouf is a pariah right now, but I found him pretty impressive as well. It's unfortunate that he's torching his own career, because the guy has talent to spare.
Hmm, I don't know... I thought the first 30 minutes were a masterpiece, but the remaining 90 minutes were bogged down by a lot of melodrama that, for me, got in the way of what Vanessa Kirby was doing. It also doesn't help that I could never connect with Shia LaBeouf in this (a lot of that having to do with a really clumsy subplot with Sarah Snook) and, as great as Ellen Burstyn is as an actress, I never bought her as Vanessa Kirby's mother. She looks more like her grandmother (I was also put off by the references to the Holocaust in her big speech). The film is worth watching for Vanessa Kirby and the opening 30 minutes, but I don't think it quite sticks the landing (thenagain, I saw it back in September, so I may need to give it another go)...
Tony -- agreed. Such a good actor and it seems like every time he starts to get praise and build a real career he comes through with terrible behavior and self-sabotage.
Pam -- OMG. I loved Piper in "Yerma"... incredible performance. I saw it here in NYC.
Richter -- i agree about not sticking the landing. I think especially the VERY last scene is a massive whut misfire. But i liked it overall.
I actually thought Molly Parker was best in show here. Found her arc incredibly subtle and agonizing. That deep breath of relief she takes before...and the little flickers of worry she telegraphs. Great stuff.
I actually liked Kirby much more at the end of the film than the beginning. Burstyn completely stole the show for me. Some of the dialogue didn't feel natural, and some scenes felt weirdly rushed. Uneven but worth watching. And Labeouf is genuinely talented, so I hope he can pull himself together.
Great review, Matt! I thought Vanessa Kirby gave a fantastic performance of a grief-stricken woman and I would love to see Ellen Burstyn nominated too.
I thought the film overall was very good but the final scene (with the tree) was completely unnecessary.
Great take, Matt. I don't imagine this will get much Oscar traction aside from Kirby and Burstyn for their performances, but I think that's what it most deserves.
At 88, Ellen Burnstyn blew me away!!
Actually watching Season 2 of the Crown right now, and Kirby is just excellent. The episode where she meets Matthew Goode and he takes her "topless" pic is by far the best of the series so far.
Kirby is so phenomenal in this. What an actress.
LaBeouf, Parker, and Burstyn were also great. It’s flawed, but quite a strong film overall.
The last scene was unexplainable and, now that I come to think about it, the movie did have quite a lot of different tones going.
I still enjoyed it, I like my melodramas classy and wintery.
I liked it - specially both for the performances, mainly Kirby, Shia and Burstyn, all excellent - but found the pacing troubling and I just wished we glanced a bit more on the accused's life and drama... it would have made sense to overlook her as they did, if it was not because they clearly broke the p.o.v. of Kirby's character to follow LeBouf's. Either stick to the one-person p.o.v. or develope all the main characters, otherwise it feels we are watching a plot device... overall, that diminishes the last minutes of the film, and also the overall conception of the film, because it left one of the most interesting and poignant aspects, completely unexplored
Yeah, agree with a few mentions here. Worth watching for the two-hander acting alone. However, during Burstyn's big Oscar-clip speech (which I agree is excellent) I just kept thinking that Kirby's character would not just be standing there silently listening to it all without interrupting, and that took me out of the scene a little bit.
I agree with most things said here and thought Shia was impressive...as was Kirby and predict she will gain further attention come awards season. Enjoyed the movie but as a criminal lawyer that Court scene was atrocious....but was my only criticism.
Just finished watching...it is truly a performers showcase, but the script is troublesome.
Neither the weaknesses of the writing nor the strength of the acting of Burstyn’s monologue was well served by staying on her throughout. We needed to see Kirby’s reactions and maybe some artful camerawork to make it more powerful.
Also, were they actually married or just living together? It didn’t feel entirely clear, especially given how Shia’s arc ends.
And that last scene, yeah, no.
LOVE Vanessa Kirby and so proud of Ellen Burstyn but unsure how we buy Kirby at 33 with an 88 year old mother (not that I’m one to comment on believable age differences but this feels a bit weird).
Regardless - here for Burstyn getting that nomination, work with what you got!
Vanessa is having a better post-Crown career than Claire Foy.
Her performance is astounding, especially in THAT jaw dropping birth scene.
The movie meanders in the middle, but picks up steam again near the end, although the monologues seem like they were literally written for acting classes.
Also love Ellen Burstyn, but casting her as Vanessa's mom just seems off.
On a somewhat related note did anyone else notice that Scott Feinberg saw Malcolm and Marie and put Zendaya in his Top 5? I have been saying for weeks that she and Andra Day are going to shake up this race. Stay tuned!
Superbly acted film but Burstyn definitely should have been the Grandmother. If they purposely cast her to show Martha's mother had been a significantly older Mother then that should have been a plot point. It made me think of Frances McDormand saying she felt too old to be the Mother of a teenager in Three Billboards and she is a lot younger! But an excellent performance nonetheless and Kirby was superb
The question is why critics didn’t shower Kirby with their awards?
Wow, I just saw it and I really really liked it. Felt like a movie of the 70's. Sad that we're not supposed to like Shia LaBeouf again because I think he's fantastic in this movie.
I hated this movie, the first arc is Just torture porn. And then everyone is Just hateful. Also, the movie is a disservice to midwifery
Oh my God, you alle are really talking about the age difference. If we believed Laura Dern as Reese Witherspoon mother where is the problem?
This movie has a lot of great things:
great camera movements
Kirby, Burstyn and Shia are great (why Shia isn't in discussion as the women?)
Shia in pink shorts
Shia's full frontal
Loved it
Also disagree that Burstyn has little screen time. It's the right time for a supporting performance! Sorry Alicia Vikander
Shia abuses women, thats why
By the way, doesn't Pieces of a Woman sound like the title of one of those made-up movies at awards ceremonies in movies or TV shows?
"The nominees for Outstanding Performing by an Actress in a Leading Role are: Vanessa Kirby in Pieces of a Woman..."
Loved it. Great performances, and love it when filmmakers go big and swing for the fences!
I really wish the film knew what story it was actually wanting to tell once that opening 30 minutes (which is very impressive) is over with. Is it a courtroom drama or a marital drama or something about a woman donating her child to science (?!) or a mother-daughter drama or, well whatever that final scene is suggesting. The final court room soon was embarrassing. It's a shame because all of the actors are good and Benjamine Loeb's work beyond the opening one-track is really great.
Kirby was phenomenal here, but I weirdly wanted more of Polly Walker's character. That labor scene really was TOUGH to get through for obvious reasons.
*Molly Parker
I think this movie was supposed to be “something we have to like” but I just was not a fan. I was really looking forward to watching it but after viewing last night I just felt underwhelmed. Thought some of the directing choices were odd. And the ending was just....
I thought Kirby and Burnstyn were great in their one Oscar scene but beyond that?
So close and yet so far. Much of the film was excellent -- the acting from all the principals and supporting players, the camera work, the stunning opening half hour. But seriously needed a script doctor -- don't want to spoil plot elements, but it was as if it were originally a three hour film, and they randomly cut 1/3, making it difficult to connect all the dots. (I would have happily watched the three hour version!). But I'd still recommend for the actressexuals among you
@Glenn Dunks - The film is about the grieving process and that's what ties it all together.
My experience of grief is that you move through life in a sort of cloud; other things go on around you but don't have the same impact they ordinarily would, as if they are muffled, until you come out of it.
So I really related to the way Kirby reacted and I liked that her reactions weren't always rational or consistent - grief does that to you! I also appreciated that the film centred her experience, and was grounded by it and remained focused on her process.
"Shia abuses women, thats why"
So what? Oscars are for acting, not for being a saint, and he was great and should be in discussion (at least for nomination if not for the win).
Oscars are more and more ridiculous because they are now more about politics than about film art.
thanks for this review - I watched it last night and it's great to read that I'm not alone .... It is definitely an interesting experience but one I definitely don't want to witness again !
The movie felt very European in the way it's narrated - but somehow it misses the emotional connection to the main characters even though you witness a tour deforce which is strange. At the end - I was more curious about what happened to Shias character (I think he was fantastic).
Kirby & Burstyn are both in top form - and definitely worthy a nod - but both not phenomenal - I always had the feeling something was missing. And went back in my mind to Marriage Story where so much more was given - or Rabbit Holes script was painful but so layered.
So fare for me Kirby is in - but only at 4th place. Viola Davis took one minute as Ma Rainey to completely blew my mind (even though I also think this play adaptation fails sometimes as movie - but the performances are incredible) - and I am really putting my hopes on Carey Mulligans performance as the trailer looks grrrrreat !!
Thumbs down. I’m from Boston. Was this movie supposedly set in Boston??? This was not shot in Boston...they kept going to a totally still shot of a large river, which was not the Charles river. There were really awful consistency issues.,.snow on the ground changed from cut to cut. It was not explained if the couple was married or not. He was a lousy guy. I did I know about the Holocaust reference until I was watching a burden intereview. Court scenes were totally unrealistic....especially kirby’s final statement
Kirby was amazing, however the movie goes to from mediocre to bad in the middle, and the earlier moments of greatness seem after the fact perhaps merely accidental. There is one moment where Brustryn has a Holocaust memory monologue while the camera doesn’t move from her face even slightly, earlier in the film such directorial choices were great but later on it’s as if they are just playing for Oscar clips or thinking they must make the scene stand out for gravitas and don’t even let Kirby to react.
This movie is BAD. I was expecting this intimate personal story reminiscent of great 70s films and I got none of that. If you think this is like a 1970s movie you clearly have never seen a 1970s movie. The opening is fantastic but after that the movie completely falls apart and never again connects with the main character. Kirby is good but she has been done a disservice by bad editing bad writing and for some reason spending way too much time on Shia’s character which is badly performed and confusing. Cliched ideas, falling off the wagon and sleeping either the cousin. Huh? I though this was Pieces of a WOMAN. Not enough time with the main character and when we do see her again she’s just performing around silly metaphors. Apples! Bernstein is great but her big monologue is so badly written I was so distracted. Molly Parker was the MVP. Beautifully expressive work.
Please go watch Puzzle of Downfall Child, Klute, Wanda, Opening Night or some actual interesting female driven film from the 70s. This movie is just a bad pastiche.
Sorry for the typos. I'm speaking into my phone. I also want to say LOL at that White Stripes convo. What a beautifully written moment.............
also why is Benny Safdie in this? After grossly playing a developmentally disabled person I never want to see him again.
Unfortunately, the screenplay isn't up to par. There is a lack of connection from one scene to the next, and the film ends absurdly.
I think it's well made, well-edited I do very much agree, well directed. But the writing is close to terrible. The dialogue is beyond terrible. I accept that these people don't know how to talk to each other, but I don't accept that the dialogue doesn't speak to the audience. Loud attempts at arguing, a resolution at the café that is pathetic, and an ending that's detached.
Can't watch this film and not be critical of those things.
"are we OK thought? " ... The midwife hesitates. She has no idea what she's doing.
"And then call 911, tell the baby is in distress".
Now let's look at the snow.
Vanessa and Shia should have been at the heart of this movie, not the 100 years old Mom.