Is ‘Pieces of a Woman’ Based on a True Story?

Few films are as personal as Pieces of a Woman, a new drama starring Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf. Directed by White God filmmaker Kornél Mundruczó and written by Kata Wéber, who are married, Netflix’s Pieces of a Woman follows a young couple as they experience a gut-wrenching tragedy during a home birth.

The intimate nature of Pieces of a Woman has many viewers curious about the backstory behind the harrowing film. Is Pieces of a Woman based on a true story? How is Mundruczó and Wéber’s relationship reflected in the Pieces of a Woman true story? Here’s everything you need to know about Netflix’s deeply distressing new drama.

WHAT IS PIECES OF A WOMAN ABOUT?

Pieces of a Woman stars Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf as Martha and Sean, a young couple on the verge of being parents. However, their excitement quickly turns to anguish when their home birth goes terribly wrong. As Martha and Sean cope with their grief, they decide to pursue criminal charges against their midwife, Eva (played by Molly Parker), a process that only sends them further down a path of despair.

IS PIECES OF A WOMAN BASED ON A TRUE STORY?

Unfortunately, Pieces of a Woman is loosely based on a true story. In an interview with Decider’s Anna Menta, director Kornél Mundruczó explained that the film (and the play it is based on) draws from their own experience with a miscarriage. However, Mundruczó did note that their situation was “far from the movie,” adding, “We don’t want to compare our experience to the movie.”

KORNÉL MUNDRUCZÓ DISCUSSES THE PIECES OF A WOMAN  TRUE STORY

Mundruczó told told Decider that both the film and the 2018 play, also written by Wéber, helped them to better communicate their grief after the loss of their child. “That broke the silence,” he said.

The Pieces of a Woman director added that the filmmaking team went to great lengths to translate the 2018 play, which was performed in Poland by the artistic ensemble of TR Warszawa, to the screen as an English-language adaptation. Ultimately, they opted to do so with a continuous, 23-minute take at the beginning of the film that shows the birth in full.

“A long take can be a real trap,” said Mundruczó. “Sometimes I love it, but sometimes I feel very narcissistic and aggressive, if you are not using it for the right reason. That was my major question. Can you create enough candor, loving, and life, [as opposed to] a choreographer creating your own sculpture?”

Where to stream Pieces of a Woman