Pieces Of A Woman Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

2. It's Full Of Obvious Symbolism

As artful as the film absolutely is, there are some moments where the lyrical affectations feel a little too self-conscious and on-the-nose for their own good.

This is especially true with the movie's persistent visual symbolism, particularly the recurring motif of an apple and apple core to signify rebirth and renewal.

Even teenage film students would likely wince at the near-parodic obviousness of such a flourish, with numerous scenes focused on Martha either eating an apple, growing apple seeds, or hanging out near apple trees.

If that's by far the worst offender, there's also a delineated scene in which Martha's partner Sean (Shia LaBeouf) talks about the stability of bridges, serving as a ham-handed stand-in for his and Martha's flagging relationship.

Given the film's many great artistic choices, these moments feel like amateur mistakes, and ones which absolutely should've been toned down - if not removed entirely - in the editing room.