Pieces Of A Woman: A Story of Grief and Despair (Netflix)

Writer Kate Weber and Director Kornel Mundruczo lost a child, and their tragedy was the inspiration for this film.  They have also collaborated on two prior movies, "White God" (2014) and "Jupiter's Moon" (2017).  This film is intense and deals with a very difficult subject, but I never thought that I knew the main characters in any depth.  When I don't know the protagonists, I have trouble empathizing with them, and then I don't care much about what happens to them.  Hence, I don't enjoy the film as much as I do when I understand the characters well. Martha (Vanessa Kirby) and her P.O.S.S.L.Q. (Google it!), Sean (Shia LaBeouf), are about to have a baby.  They have decided on a home delivery.  When Martha goes into labor, their chosen midwife is tied up with another delivery, so they must use the covering midwife, Eve (Molly Parker).  Martha has some anxiety about the situation, but Eve is well-qualified and, I mean, what can Martha really do about it anyway?  Complications arise during the labor, but a healthy baby girl is born!  (The home delivery was a very intense scene and difficult for me and Robin to watch.)  Unfortunately, only a few minutes later, the baby develops respiratory distress.  The paramedics are called, but the infant dies.  Eve is charged with criminal negligence and may even go to jail for many years, depending on the eventual trial verdict. The rest of the film is primarily about how Martha, Sean, and Martha's mother Elizabeth (Ellen Burstyn) deal with their overwhelming grief about such a horrific loss.  The actors do a nice job, but I don't think any of their performances are Oscar-worthy.  Their silent suffering and self-destructive behaviors in response to the loss are understandable, but I wasn't emotionally involved enough with any of them to enjoy the film much. Bottom Line: "Pieces of a Woman" never came "together" for me!