Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Vanessa Kirby | ... | Martha | |
Shia LaBeouf | ... | Sean | |
Ellen Burstyn | ... | Elizabeth | |
Iliza Shlesinger | ... | Anita | |
Benny Safdie | ... | Chris | |
Sarah Snook | ... | Suzanne | |
Molly Parker | ... | Eva | |
Steven McCarthy | ... | Photographer | |
Tyrone Benskin | ... | Judge | |
Frank Schorpion | ... | Lane | |
Harry Standjofski | ... | Court Clerk | |
Domenic Di Rosa | ... | Medical Examiner | |
Jimmie Fails | ... | Max | |
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Juliette Casagrande | ... | Little Girl |
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Gayle Garfinkle | ... | Judith |
Martha and Sean are a Boston couple on the verge of parenthood whose lives change irrevocably when a home birth ends in unimaginable tragedy. Thus begins a yearlong odyssey for Martha, who must navigate her grief while working through fractious relationships with her husband and her domineering mother, along with the publicly vilified midwife, whom she must face in court. A deeply personal, searing, and ultimately transcendent story of a woman learning to live alongside her loss. Written by Netflix
I've seen several comparisons of Mundruczó's style to that of Cassavettes, but when the credits arrived, Bergman came to my mind: largely discoursive, disfunctional family relationships, and naturalistic dialogue despite the presence of a structured screenplay.
The english language debut of the hungarian director is built around eight different days, each distant about a month from the other, as it depicts the way the life of the titular woman changes after a tragic miscarriage. Most of the scenes use very well made one-shot sequences (particularly successful is one that happens very early in the movie, perhaps one of the best single takes I've seen in years, but it dangerously overshadowed the rest of the film
As I see it, a film is well writtwn when all its structural elements check out, and this is the case here: every piece of dialogue is deeply connected to the main story yet the overall effect of naturalism is unaffected.
Pieces of a Woman is a character-driven story, and thus the performances of the titular actors much be noted: not only the subtly emotional Vanessa Kirby but Ellen Burstyn's role as the protagonist'a mother, as well as Shia Labeouf's painful take on the partner's role.
Scorsese was totally right: this movie is surprising, yet in an unexpected, subtle way. Lookong forward for more Mundruczó.