Pieces of a Woman

The opening birth scene is one of the best film sequences in recent years. Unfortunately, the rest of the film never reaches that high bar, nor does it present anything very original, but I’m still satisfied. (19.01.2021)

Sensitively filmed, superbly acted. And especially from Vanessa, who is – and I'm certainly not saying this for the first time – absolutely fantastic. The film is all about her, and her character is very interesting. Her movie husband – if I'm not mistaken – said about her at the beginning that she's always cool. And that's how she came across to me, a strong and emotionally stable woman. What happens to her and to those around her when she's faced with such a difficult life situation? You can see that for yourself. I know I'm going to be one of the few, but I didn't find Shia very likable in his role. But to be honest, I almost always feel that way about him. (17.01.2021)

Ein schwieriger Film und ein schwieriges Thema, das zahlreiche Kontroversen und Polemiken hervorrufen kann. Mir hat dieser Film eine weitere Schauspielerin auf die Liste derjenigen gesetzt, die man weiter beobachten sollte - Vanessa Kirby. Sie lieferte eine bemerkenswerte Leistung ab, unglaublich psychisch und physisch anspruchsvoll, und völlig zu Recht ist sie dafür Anwärterin auf einen Oscar, obwohl sie in der Konkurrenz der Afroamerikanerinnen höchstwahrscheinlich keine Chance hat. Shia LaBeouf ergänzt sie ausgezeichnet, und in einer Nebenrolle exzelliert die überaus erfahrene Ellen Burstyn. Zu Hausgeburten habe ich stets einen sehr negativen Standpunkt bezogen, der sich durch diesen Streifen nur noch verstärkt hat. Jede Frau und jedes Paar haben natürlich die freie Wahl, doch es kann zu so vielen Komplikationen kommen, auf die ein noch so gut vorbereitetes häusliches Umfeld nicht so adäquat reagieren kann wie ein mit Personal und Geräten ausgestattetes Krankenhaus. (17.04.2021)

The opening scene, which demonstrates the hell of home birth, is extremely impressive and pretty much determines all the events that follow. It's at once fascinating and disheartening how the mutual support and understanding during the intro subsequently turns into chiding, contempt, and a conscious need to hurt each other. I see great truth in the old familiar cliché that despite the noblest of intentions, no one in their immediate community can understand how you really feels in such a difficult situation. Through the evocative performances of both Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf (that guy is really good), Pieces of a Woman gives a fairly comprehensive picture of what happens to the psyche of two people who have experienced together one of the worst possible tragedies in their lives. Remarkably conscientious, sensitive, and delivered with a strange fragility, this is an elegy that is extremely intimate yet monumental. [80%] (15.05.2021)