PIECES OF A WOMAN

Canada/Hungary/US, 2020, 126 minutes, Colour.
Vanessa Kirby, Shia La Boeuf, Ellen Burstyn, Iliza Slazenger, Benny Safdie, Sarah Snook, Molly Parker.
Directed by Kornel Mandrucszo.

This is a powerful drama, especially in its first 30 minutes. It focuses on a woman, in her 30s, living with her partner, pregnant, often dominated by her mother. This becomes evident in the first few minutes where the narrative focuses on the partner, Sean (a strong performance by Shia La Boeuf) who works on bridge construction in Boston harbour, his going to meet Martha (an award-winning performance from Vanessa Kirby, Princess Margaret on The Crown), a rendezvous with Martha’s mother, Ellen Burstyn (still a powerful presence on screen in her late 80s). They are buying a car for Martha.

While that introduces the characters briefly and effectively, it is the next 30 minutes that remain in the audience memory. Sean and Martha are at home, there is a beginning of contractions, some apprehension on Martha’s part, the plan to have the birth at home, finding the midwife is not available, some touches of panic, an alternate midwife, Eva (Molly Parker) arriving, reassuring, Martha going into the bath, then onto the bed, the contractions and the pushing, difficulties, checking heartbeats, the birth, Sean taking photos, then discovery that all is not well, Sean finding the paramedics and their arrival… Fade to black.

In describing the first 30 minutes, this is something of a spoiler but not exactly. While it describes something of what happens, it is the audience watching Martha’s experience in close-up, some extreme close-ups, that go well beyond mere description. The audience is in that room, one with Martha, anxious, observing the midwife, sharing Sean’s experience.

The drama continues for another 90 minutes and is strong drama. And it relies on what has happened to the audience in those first 30 minutes.

The principal focus, of course, is on Martha and the consequences of her experience. She seems to cope. Is quite self-contained, returning to work and ousting the occupant of her desk, checking on hospitals and their use of bodies for medical research (Sean and her mother opposed), even going to a club and a moment’s flirtation.

But, what puts the pressure on her is her mother’s domination, dissatisfaction with her daughter, wanting justice and compensation when the midwife is arrested. At one stage, well worth seeing, Martha’s mother has a strong speech describing her own mother, the difficult birth during World War II, her survival, the struggle for survival. And Ellen Burstyn is photographed in close-up which makes the storytelling more intense.

There is also a focus on Sean, his personal grief, his being looked down on by Martha’s mother, that he is ordinary and less-educated. There is question of how he deals with his frustrations, his sexual approach to Martha and her response.

There is a further complication in the plot with the hiring of a defence lawyer, Suzanne, a relation to the family (Sarah Snook).

After the personal drama and interactions, the action moves to the court room, the prosecution of the midwife, Martha on the stand interrogated by both prosecution and defence. Needing a break, she goes to a photographer’s shop, with the camera that Sean had used to photograph her and the baby. The photographs answer the questions put to her by the lawyers and she finds her feet, finds her inner strength.

A significant drama, well worth seeing despite the demands of the first 30 minutes and the birth.


(The film is based on a play and both the screenwriter and director are Hungarian.)

1. An American/ Canadian/ Hungarian production? The Hungarian writer, director, the play, the adaptation for the screen? Filming in Canada?

2. The Boston locations, the focus on the harbour, the bridge, the building, its final completion? Streets, the apartments? Interiors? Hospital? Courtrooms? The musical score?

3. The title, with reference to Martha? The performance by Vanessa Kirby, awards?

4. The picking out of significant dates and highlighting them on screen, from September to April?

5. The opening, the tone, the focus on the bridge, Sean coming off the bridge, the worker, with his fellow workers, meeting with Martha and her mother, the buying of the car, Martha pregnant, the sequence with the baby shower and her leaving?

6. The next half-hour, its impact? Martha and Sean, at home, their bonding, contractions, Martha and her apprehensions, the phone calls to Barbara, her not being available, Eva’s arrival, some apprehension, her reassuring?

7. The close-up of the birth process, the details, the moods, the focus on Martha, on Sean, Martha and the bath, on the bed, the blood, the contractions, Eva and her testing the heartbeat, urging the pushing, the eventual birth, the photos from Sean, Eva and her testing, the baby turning blue, the urgent call for the paramedics, the arrival of the ambulance, fade to black on the audience left with the impact of this 30 minutes close-up and experience?

8. The focus on Martha, the title, Martha and her pieces? Her coping, some aplomb, her sadness, tensions with Sean, his sexual approach, her attempts to respond, her failure to respond, his anger and walking out? The encounters with her mother, her mother hounding her? The relationship with her sister? The setting up of the case, the arrest of Eva, her imprisonment? The importance of the law? Martha and her shopping, going to work, the man occupying her desk? Her later going to the club, dancing, kissing him, but leaving?

9. The issue of the body of the baby going for medical research? Martha wanting it, Sean not? Her mother against it? Martha visiting the hospital, the discussions with the authorities? The sequence in the laboratory with all the glasses and exhibits?

10. Sean, sad, an ordinary man, coping with his grief, his emotional needs, Martha not responding? Sex, the encounter with the lawyer, the relationship with her? His thoughts of going to Seattle? The issue of the car, getting money, talking with the car dealer? Talking with Martha’s mother? Her not liking him?

11. The mother, her age, her role in the family, dominant, the Jewish background, the war, the camps, the story about her own life, her mother giving birth, her almost dying, surviving? The powerful close-up speech by Ellen Burstyn?

12. The issue of the casket, Martha going, her mother having arranged it, the words and lettering, Martha differing?

13. The buildup to the dinner, her mother arranging it, everybody present? The different reactions, interactions, the mother speech? Martha leaving? The discussion with Sean, the writing of the cheque, her urging him to go? His leaving, the final talk with Suzanne, her embarrassing embarrassment at being there, her not wanting to go with Sean, his leaving?

14. The transition to the court, Suzanne and her defence, the prosecutor? The judge? The calling of Martha as a witness? Suzanne’s interrogation, sympathetic? The prosecutor, making Martha go over the experience, her feelings, her memories? Eva present in the court, Martha looking at her?

15. Martha, the break, going out, with the camera, getting the photos developed? Sean’s photos of her with the baby? The most important memento? Her love for the baby?

16. Her return to the court, the mother and sister present, Suzanne? Martha asking to make a speech, her explanation of the situation, her indication of Eva?

17. The aftermath, a kind of catharsis for Martha, pouring the ashes, the bridge complete, for her mother, her able to relate better to her mother? A future?