TIFF 2020: Pieces of a Woman Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Just a warning, get ready to be destroyed emotionally as Pieces of a Woman, fresh off its buzz-worthy premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival will likely do exactly that. That being said, it will certainly not be for everyone but this powerfully-acted character study is worth watching for exactly that. While its emotional intensity does stand out thanks to the tragic sequence that started the film, it could be argued that the film fails to sustain that semblance of intensity and slows down. However, the damage had clearly already been done as this shift only amplifies the result of said tragedy. Although, with the film clocking in at around the 2 hour mark, it perhaps runs a tad too long as it taps into the melodrama well a few too many times, that’s merely a minor quibble.

As mentioned, Pieces of a Woman tells the story of a woman named Martha (Kirby) tries to move on with her life after that aforementioned unspeakable tragedy where they lost their newborn baby. Meanwhile, she would find herself drifting apart from her husband Sean (LeBoeuf) as the two were left to pick up the pieces as they each grieved in their own ways. Suffice it to say that the distance growing between them took a toll on their marriage. While the film focused on each of their internal struggles with their loss, this undoubtedly was Martha’s story as her pain was there for everyone to see. Life was simply not the same for her now but it would be up to her (though both had to do it) to figure out how to find closure and finally move on. However, that proved to be difficult to say the least.

One thing that set Pieces of a Woman apart was how it captures emotion through its simple yet powerful cinematography, be it long takes or close-ups. Besides that, the film was otherwise a beautiful one. The great score also provided a boost to that emotion. In the end, the best part of the film was its performances with Kirby’s heartbreaking performance as Martha being the standout. She laid every piece of her (pun intended) out there on screen in delivering an understated and nuanced yet powerful performance with impressive range. LeBoeuf was equally up to the task, having great chemistry with Kirby. Burstyn was also impressive as Martha’s mother Elizabeth.

At the end of the day, Pieces of a Woman is a knockout character study that will surely stay with viewers long after the credits have rolled.

still courtesy of TIFF

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.