Pieces of a Woman (2020)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A young couple's lives are irrevocably shattered by a traumatic home birth and the subsequent loss of their first child.
The story
Martha and Sean, a young Boston couple, are expecting their first child. While Sean works on a bridge construction project, Martha goes into labor at home. Due to the unavailability of their primary midwife, another midwife named Eva arrives to assist. During the difficult labor, the baby's heart rate drops dangerously low, leading to a tragic outcome. In the aftermath, the couple faces a harrowing period of grief, strained relationships with Martha's wealthy mother, and a looming legal battle against Eva, who is accused of negligence in the baby's death.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Martha and Sean, a young Boston couple, are expecting their first child. During a home birth assisted by a midwife named Eva, the baby is born but dies shortly after due to a low-oxygen environment. The couple is left devastated, facing a strained relationship with Martha's mother, Elizabeth, a Holocaust survivor who blames Eva for the death. While Sean struggles with substance use and a potential lucrative lawsuit, Martha decides to donate the baby's body to science. Tensions peak at a family gathering where Elizabeth offers Sean money to leave. Martha eventually testifies at Eva's trial, stating she does not blame the midwife. Following the trial, Martha reconciles with her mother, who is showing signs of dementia. Years later, Martha is seen with a young girl, suggesting a new chapter of life.
- First release year
- 2020
- Runtime (minutes)
- 128
- Production countries
- Canada; United States; Hungary
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Kornél Mundruczó
- Writers
- Kata Wéber · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Vanessa Kirby · Martha; Shia LaBeouf · Sean; Molly Parker · Eva; Sarah Snook · Suzanne; Iliza Shlesinger · Barbara; Benny Safdie · Lucianna; Jimmie Fails · Lucianna; Ellen Burstyn · Elizabeth
- Genres
- melodrama
- Themes
- grief; loss; trauma; intergenerational trauma; class tensions; generational divides
- Tone and mood
- melodramatic; oppressive; wintry
- Premise and plot tags
- baby loss; child death; dysfunctional families; substance abuse; courtroom drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- Pieces of a Woman by Kornél Mundruczó and Kata Wéber (stage play)
- Content notes
- domestic violence
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews, with praise for the actors, particularly Kirby and Burstyn, though elements of the plot were criticized.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 66 · scale: 100 · review count: 41
- Awards and nominations
- Volpi Cup for Best Actress · Best Actress · win
- Production trivia
- The film features a 24-minute long take childbirth scene.; The film incorporates fictionalized aspects of the trial of Hungarian midwife Ágnes Geréb.; The director and lead actress both commented that the loss in the film can speak to people who have been bereaved in the pandemic.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…