Pieces Of A Woman Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs
5. The First Act Is INCREDIBLE
Few who watch this film are likely to forget its mesmerising first act, the bulk of which is comprised of a single-take sequence set in Martha and Sean's apartment as she gives birth to her daughter, who passes away moments later.
Clocking in at almost 30 minutes, the scene is an astonishing yet unassuming triumph of filmmaking skill and pitch-perfect performance, the camera weaving in and out of various rooms in the apartment as Martha's situation becomes increasingly dire, leading up to that devastating rug-pull.
It is a sequence which the rest of the film doesn't have a hope in hell of matching, and that's probably by design, elevating the inciting incident to such traumatic - yet never exploitative - heights in the process.
If the remaining two reels feel more pedestrian by comparison, that opening act is a mini-masterpiece in its own right, and again, just might be enough to seal Vanessa Kirby's Oscar win in its own right.