Wéber, who had already titled the scene "Pieces of a Woman", became the playwright after Mundruczó encouraged her to make a "family drama" from the scene the play was originally performed at TR Warszawa in Warsaw, Poland. The couple did not initially talk about their experience or process their grief, but Mundruczó read a scene written in Wéber's notebook depicting a woman and her mother debate child loss and felt that it needed exploration. The play Pieces of a Woman was created by Kornél Mundruczó and Kata Wéber, a couple who experienced miscarriage during pregnancy. Martha calls her name, Lucianna, then helps her down. Years later, a little girl climbs an apple tree, picks an apple, and eats it. A month later, Martha scatters her daughter's ashes into the river from the bridge that Sean helped to build. Back home, she discovers that the apple seeds she stored in her refrigerator have started to sprout. After her testimony, the judge allows her to address the court, and she states that Eva is not at fault for the death and that she does not blame her. Months later, Martha testifies at Eva's trial. Martha drops Sean off at Logan International Airport and he leaves for Seattle. Elizabeth then tells Sean that she never liked him before offering him a check for a large sum of money to leave and never return.
#Pieces movie trial
Suzanne, who is also the attorney prosecuting Eva, informs him that a potential lawsuit against Eva could be very lucrative.Īt a tense family gathering at her home, Elizabeth tells Martha that she has to attend Eva's trial and blames Martha for her baby's death because she decided to have a home birth. He later has sex with Martha's cousin, Suzanne, and uses cocaine after being sober for almost seven years. Sean returns the car that Elizabeth bought for them. Both Martha and Sean remain deeply depressed. The relationship between Martha and Sean continues to be strained, as is Martha's relationship with her mother, who wants to bury the baby and have a funeral. Sean leaves, overcome with emotion, while Martha remains and decides that she wants to donate the baby's body to science. They learn the cause of death has not yet been established but are told they were able to determine that the baby was in a low-oxygen environment and start proceedings against Eva. The following month, Martha and Sean attend an appointment with a coroner Sean is eager to find out what went wrong, while Martha is reluctant. Eva then notices the baby is turning blue and attempts to revive her, but she goes into cardiac arrest and dies. Martha soon gives birth to a baby girl who at first seems healthy. Sean asks Eva if they are safe to continue and Eva tells Sean to call an ambulance. Martha struggles with nausea and pain during contractions and, when she reaches ten centimeters, Eva realizes the baby's heart rate has dropped dangerously low. Martha goes into labor at their home and Sean calls their midwife Barbara, who is unavailable and sends another midwife named Eva in her place. Sean resents Martha's mother Elizabeth, a wealthy Holocaust survivor, who is buying them a minivan. Martha and Sean, a young Boston couple, are expecting their first child. For her performance, Kirby received Academy Award, BAFTA, SAG, Critics' Choice, and Golden Globe nominations. The film received generally positive reviews, with praise for the actors, particularly Kirby, though elements of the plot were criticized. It was released in select theaters on December 30, 2020, before beginning to digitally stream on Netflix on January 7, 2021, and became noted for its long take childbirth scene at the start of the film. It premiered on September 4, 2020, at the 77th Venice International Film Festival, where Kirby won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. Martin Scorsese and Sam Levinson served as executive producers, and the film was scored by Howard Shore.Īn international co-production of the United States and Canada, the film is in part based on Mundruczó and Wéber's stage play of the same name and explores themes of grief and loss. The film stars Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Molly Parker, Sarah Snook, Iliza Shlesinger, Benny Safdie, Jimmie Fails, and Ellen Burstyn as the family and associates of Martha (Kirby) involved in her traumatic childbirth, baby loss, and a subsequent court case against the midwife, Eva (Parker), whom Martha's mother Elizabeth (Burstyn) blames for the baby's death. Pieces of a Woman is a 2020 drama film directed by Kornél Mundruczó, from a screenplay by Kata Wéber.