A raw, performance-driven grief drama with a devastating opening stretch and a few genuinely powerful emotional passages, but it can feel overextended and somewhat constructed around prestige suffering. Vanessa Kirby is the main reason to see it; the film’s impact depends on whether you respond to its austere,… Read more
Pieces of a Woman
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Drama
Wed · 2h 7m
Director: Kornél Mundruczó
Starring: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Ellen Burstyn
Overview
When a young mother's home birth ends in unfathomable tragedy, she begins a year-long odyssey of mourning that fractures relationships with loved ones in this deeply personal story of a woman learning to live alongside her loss.
Director
Kornél Mundruczó
Cast
Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Ellen Burstyn
Curator Review
Verdict
A raw, performance-driven grief drama with a devastating opening stretch and a few genuinely powerful emotional passages, but it can feel overextended and somewhat constructed around prestige suffering. Vanessa Kirby is the main reason to see it; the film’s impact depends on whether you respond to its austere, heavy-handed approach.
Best for
Viewers who want intense, actor-led drama
Fans of grief and trauma stories
People interested in intimate domestic tragedy
Those drawn to emotionally punishing, awards-season dramas
Skip if
You want a plot-driven movie with momentum
You are sensitive to childbirth loss or miscarriage themes
You dislike bleak, emotionally draining films
You prefer subtle or understated storytelling
Overview
Pieces of a Woman is at its strongest when it stays close to bodily experience and private grief. The opening sequence is famously harrowing, and the film’s best scenes have a raw, lived-in quality that makes the aftermath feel immediate rather than abstract. Vanessa Kirby gives a fiercely committed performance that carries much of the movie’s emotional weight.
Worth noting
The film’s weaknesses are harder to ignore. It can feel deliberately severe, and at times the drama seems arranged to maximize pain rather than deepen insight. Some viewers will read that as honesty; others will find it emotionally manipulative or oddly hollow.
Bottom line
What remains is a serious, often affecting portrait of mourning, family fracture, and the difficulty of moving through loss without a clear path forward. It’s worth watching for the central performance and the subject matter, but it’s not an easy recommendation for everyone.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Sam (3★) · 1748 likes
I like to ask myself after watching a movie “Would this movie exist if it wasn’t trying to win any awards?” The simple answer with Pieces of a Woman is no. Despite its heartbreaking themes and amazingly difficult dramatic performances that are consistently impressive and riveting, something about it feels empty. It’s as if you watched these characters go through pain without much reason. I get that this movie is a vehicle for the actors to really do their thing
john (3★) · 1355 likes
everyday i am thankful i have zero desire to procreate
matt lynch (2.5★) · 1144 likes
An acting coach's favorite movie.
Jitender (3.5★) · 990 likes
"Time heals all wounds" - Guy at the Church - Benny Safdie
cinéfila... 🕯️ (3★) · 821 likes
vanessa kirby's back must be ruined beyond repair after carrying the entire weight of this (very long, very draining) movie