Tap Pieces of a Woman
Sean (Shia LaBeouf) and Martha (Vanessa Kirby) are looking forward to their first baby. They have made an appointment with a midwife to deliver the baby at home. However, at a critical time, the appointed midwife was unable to come because she was delivering another woman. A substitute midwife arrived. When she found out that the baby had a problem, she called the hospital for help. Unfortunately it was too late and the baby passed away.
This was a heavy blow to them. The next day will be bad. Martha locks herself up, avoids communicating with other people, plus she has to send the baby to medical research, facing the increasingly indifferent Martha, Sean's temper is getting hotter and hotter, coupled with begging for pleasure. They refused to cheat, and in the end the two became strangers.
Adding fuel to the fire is Martha's mother, Elizabeth (Ellen Burstyn), who insists that Martha testify against the midwife in court. Thinks that only in this way can Martha face reality and get rid of the past to start a new life. At the same time she gave Sean a sum of money hoping he would leave Martha.
After the trial, Martha recalled the birth of the child under the questioning of the defense lawyer. If the midwife is found guilty, it will be punished with hefty reparations and jail time. In the end, Martha told everyone that the child's death had nothing to do with the midwife. This not only relieved the midwife, it also closed the page for her own painful experience.
A few years later, Martha has another daughter, Anna, and a new life begins (now the movie will arrange a dream, is this ending a dream?)
There are bound to be unpleasant things in life. The death of a born daughter is, of course, in the headlines. The only thing a grieving Martha can do is to shut herself up like a shell and hope she can resist the past alone. The result is that Sean leaves, and he is unable to extricate himself in grief. Her mother, Elizabeth, tried to get her to use the midwife as an end to the punching bag. While this might have resolved the pimple in Martha's heart, it just turned the pain in her heart to the midwife. It's better to settle a grudge than to settle it, that's the difference between Martha and her mother. One relieves his suffering with alms and the other with rewards.
It is also said that Martha's rebellious psychology was caused by Elizabeth's strong mother. But there may also be differences due to their backgrounds and times. Elizabeth, who was born during World War II, suffered as a Jew gave her a more self-centered notion of destiny, while Martha, who grew up in a peaceful and wealthy environment, was more willing to make compromises and accept other human beings. This is the reason for the conflict between their mother and daughter, which today is called the generation gap. The white-collar Martha can live lovingly with the blue-collar worker Sean, and can give up the accusation against the midwife. So even though she was deeply saddened, she was still relying on herself like her mother, but in a different way.
In the story, although Sean is just a blue-collar worker with a normal family background, has one problem or another, and is looked down upon by his mother-in-law, the love between him and Martha is sincere. It's a pity that after losing the child, the feelings and trust between them have disappeared. Even if Elizabeth does not give him money, he will leave sooner or later. Not pleasant, but good for both parties.
The film begins with a half-hour depiction of Martha's production process. Long and painful. This is something every mother cannot avoid. It has been said before that the birth of a child is like a gate to hell for every mother. With the advancement of medical procedures, this is a thing of the past. In any case, each of us owes our mother a lot.
Vanessa Kirby was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for the film.
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