Pieces Of A Woman Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

3. Kornél Mundruczó's Sharp Direction

Accepting the film's aforementioned flaws, director Kornél Mundruczó does a mostly terrific job bringing this difficult story to vibrant life.

Beyond the technical brilliance of the opening long take, Mundruczó lingers long on actors for extended periods in other scenes, ensuring we're deeply immersed in the emotion of the scenario at all times.

Mundruczó is clearly an actor's director, evidenced by his willingness to hold the camera on close-ups of the actors' faces in a way that's sometimes discomfortingly intimate.

But it helps the film and its characters feel completely lived-in, while the movie's overall success should help elevate Mundruczó's profile beyond the specialty "arthouse" circuit.