Pieces of a Woman

"Directed by Kornél Mundruczó (White God) and written by his partner and frequent collaborator Kata Wéber, this film is thoroughly personal and radically empathetic. Vanessa Kirby is outstanding as Martha, a mother stripped of motherhood traversing territory rarely put to screen. Shia LaBeouf does well opposite Kirby, with brilliant cameos by Benny Safdie (Good Time) and Sarah Snook (Succession). It’s a shame then, that despite all the talent involved, the film’s second and third acts never quite lives up to its opening."

"A film not easily forgotten."

"Everyone here is stuck in a movie that never lets its emotions breathe, in no small part because its director insists on gussying up a small character drama with plus-sized gestures."

"When the film’s actors are given space to etch their characters’ feelings, they turn in strikingly naturalistic performances."

"After the implosive force of those first 30 minutes, the rest of the movie can’t help but feel like a self-defeating scavenger hunt through the rubble."

"As fragmented as its title suggests, Pieces of a Woman contains parts of a good film, possibly a great one."

"Viewed as an acting masterclass, the film is bruisingly impressive in its way. The principal actors raise the roof; each gets to do their big turn for the camera. But it feels a little schooled, a little staged, like a workshop at the Actors’ Studio."

"Those with the stomach for a forcefully acted representation of the gut-wrenching impact and long-range after-effects of sudden infant death will be rewarded with moments both powerful and affecting."

"Mundruczó and Wéber gave her the pieces from which to assemble this character, but only Kirby could have taken that puzzle and turned it into such an astonishing portrait."