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Pieces of a Woman (2020) movie poster

Timeline

Pieces of a Woman (2020) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2020 · 126 min · English
Echo score 80
JustWatch #34,411 4
Directed by
Kornél Mundruczó
Starring
Sarah Snook, Shia LaBeouf, Vanessa Kirby, Domenic Di Rosa, Ellen Burstyn, Ben Safdie

Following a devastating home birth, Martha and Sean, a couple living in Boston, are plunged into profound grief. Martha grapples with the tragedy and its aftermath, navigating a complex journey through mourning. She confronts strained relationships with her husband, her mother, and the midwife involved, while also facing a public court battle. The experience tests her strength and resilience as she attempts to rebuild her life.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (14)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Pieces of a Woman
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Pieces of a Woman (2020)

Where can you watch Pieces of a Woman? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Netflix and Netflix Standard: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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14 events in order · contains spoilers

Pieces of a Woman Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Pieces of a Woman (2020) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Anticipating Parenthood

    Martha Weiss and Sean Carson eagerly await the arrival of their first child, filled with excitement and joy. They bond over their dreams of parenthood during a visit to a car dealership, showcasing their close relationship and shared aspirations.

    Where
    Boston
  2. Celebration Gift

    In a heartfelt moment, Martha's mother surprises the couple with a new minivan, symbolizing their readiness for family life. This gift represents not just practicality but also the support from their family as they prepare for their baby.

  3. Preparing the Nursery

    Sean expresses his love by giving Martha ultrasound pictures, which they prepare to adorn their nursery. This act signifies their deep connection and the love that they share as they await their child's arrival.

  4. Labor Begins

    The joy of anticipation quickly turns into panic when Martha unexpectedly goes into labor. With their midwife unavailable, Eva steps in, guiding Martha through the intense early stages of childbirth.

    Where
    Martha's home
  5. Emergency Decision

    As Martha experiences the agony of labor, her condition worsens, and Eva realizes their urgent need for hospital assistance due to the baby's declining heart rate. Frantic and overwhelmed, Sean is faced with the challenge of making quick decisions.

  6. The Birth

    Despite the escalating tensions, Martha's determination leads her to fight through the pain and deliver her baby. The moment is filled with hope as the family welcomes their daughter into the world amidst chaos.

    Where
    Martha's home
  7. Tragic Loss

    Just moments after giving birth, tragedy strikes as their newborn goes into cardiac arrest. This heartbreaking event marks the beginning of profound grief for both Martha and Sean as they confront their unimaginable loss.

    Where
    Martha's home
  8. Grappling with Grief

    In the weeks following their loss, Martha faces her sorrow in various settings, marked by painful reminders of her baby. A seemingly normal moment in a grocery store thrusts her into emotional turmoil, highlighting the depth of her grief.

    Where
    Grocery Store
  9. Coroner's Appointment

    Martha and Sean attend a coroner's appointment, which reveals that their baby died due to low oxygen levels. This appointment brings feelings of guilt and blame, causing them to question their choices throughout the labor process.

  10. Strained Relationship

    As grief takes its toll, Martha and Sean's relationship begins to fracture. Tensions mount as they argue over every detail, including the baby's room, and Sean seeks comfort outside their marriage, leading to a devastating affair.

  11. Trial and Truth

    Martha finds herself involved in the trial of Eva, the midwife, where she must confront her feelings about their loss. Ultimately, she stands firm in her belief that Eva is not to blame, showing her strength and resilience amidst the turmoil.

    Where
    Courtroom
  12. Healing Journey

    In the midst of her pain, Martha begins to nurture her healing process, finding solace in nature. The moment her apple seeds sprout serves as a metaphor for her gradual recovery and the rekindling of hope in her life.

  13. Embracing Loss

    As a poignant ritual, Martha scatters her daughter's ashes in the river, symbolizing her acceptance of the tragedy. This act is both cathartic and transformative, as she embraces the memories while looking toward a brighter future.

    Where
    River
  14. A New Beginning

    Years later, Martha finds herself helping a little girl climb down from an apple tree, surrounding her with new life and joy. This moment embodies her ongoing journey of healing, where she learns to nurture hope despite the lingering pain.

    Where
    Apple Tree

Last updated: November 15, 2024 at 17:31

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Timeline questions answered

Pieces of a Woman Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Pieces of a Woman (2020): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why did Martha decide to have a home birth instead of going to the hospital?

Martha chose a home birth because she wanted to deliver in a familiar, comfortable space rather than a clinical hospital environment. Her midwife Barbara was initially supposed to assist, but when Barbara became unavailable, Eva stepped in. Despite the escalating complications during labor, Martha resisted leaving her home because she felt strongly about maintaining control over her birthing experience.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Martha and Sean decorating the nursery with ultrasound pictures, establishing their excitement and strong emotional attachment to the home birth plan.

  • home birth
  • hospital
  • labor
  • midwife
  • birth plan
Q2

What caused the baby's death during the home birth?

The baby's heart rate was plummeting during contractions, indicating oxygen deprivation. The coroner's later report confirmed the baby died in a low-oxygen environment. Despite Eva's warning that they needed to rush to the hospital and Sean's frantic urging, Martha's determination to stay home and deliver quickly led to the tragic outcome.

Foreshadowing: Eva alerts Sean that the baby's heart rate is dropping during contractions, signaling the emergency before the birth.

  • baby death
  • oxygen
  • heart rate
  • coroner
  • stillbirth
Q3

Why does Martha refuse to hold Eva responsible for her daughter's death?

Martha ultimately recognizes that the tragedy was not solely Eva's fault. She understands that she herself chose to stay home and push through the delivery despite the warnings about the baby's declining heart rate. During the trial, Martha speaks her truth, asserting that she does not hold Eva responsible, taking ownership of her own decisions during labor.

Foreshadowing: The coroner's appointment reveals the baby died from low oxygen, but doesn't assign blame to Eva specifically.

  • Eva
  • midwife
  • trial
  • blame
  • court case
Q4

Why did Sean have an affair with Martha's cousin Suzanne?

Sean was overwhelmed by grief and the crumbling relationship with Martha. Their marriage fractured under the weight of their shared tragedy, with constant arguments about the baby's room and other trivial matters driving them apart. Sean sought comfort and escape in an affair with Suzanne, who was also the attorney prosecuting Eva in the court case.

  • Sean
  • Suzanne
  • affair
  • grief
  • marriage
Q5

Why does Martha's mother blame her for the baby's death?

Martha's mother, Elizabeth, places blame on Martha for choosing to have a home birth and for resisting the midwife's urgent suggestion to go to the hospital. This blame adds to Martha's emotional burden, creating additional strain between them as she already struggles with immense grief and guilt.

Foreshadowing: Elizabeth surprises them with a minivan, initially showing support, but her later blame contrasts with this early display of family backing.

  • Elizabeth
  • mother
  • blame
  • guilt
  • family
Q6

What was the outcome of the trial against Eva the midwife?

The trial centers on whether Eva bears responsibility for the baby's death. Martha testifies and asserts that she does not hold Eva responsible, speaking her truth about the events. The trial's outcome isn't explicitly stated, but Martha's testimony suggests she believed the responsibility lay with her own choices rather than the midwife's actions.

Foreshadowing: Suzanne serves as the attorney prosecuting Eva, creating a complex family dynamic around the court case.

  • trial
  • Eva
  • court
  • midwife
  • verdict
Q7

What do the apple seeds symbolize in the movie?

The apple seeds represent hope, renewal, and new life emerging from profound loss. After the tragedy, Martha plants apple seeds, and when they eventually sprout, it marks a turning point in her healing journey. Years later, she helps a little girl climb down from an apple tree, symbolizing her renewed capacity to nurture and embrace life again.

Foreshadowing: The apple seeds are planted after the baby dies, appearing during Martha's darkest period as a symbol of potential rebirth.

  • apple seeds
  • healing
  • hope
  • symbolism
  • nature
Q8

How does Martha's relationship with Sean deteriorate after the tragedy?

Grief tears Martha and Sean apart in the weeks following their loss. They argue constantly over trivial matters like the baby's room, unable to support each other through their shared trauma. Sean eventually seeks escape through an affair with Martha's cousin Suzanne, further destroying their marriage. Their relationship fractures beyond repair under the weight of their individual grief.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows tensions mounting and the strained relationship becoming evident before Sean's affair is revealed.

  • Sean
  • marriage
  • grief
  • divorce
  • relationship
Q9

Why does Martha scatter her daughter's ashes in the river?

A month after the death, Martha performs a poignant ritual by scattering her daughter's ashes in the river. This act symbolizes her acceptance of the tragedy and her conscious choice to begin moving forward. It represents a critical step in her healing process, allowing her to embrace her loss while still looking toward the future.

Foreshadowing: The river scene follows the moment when apple seeds sprout, showing Martha moving from denial toward acceptance.

  • ashes
  • river
  • burial
  • acceptance
  • closure
Q10

Why does Martha break down crying at the grocery store?

Martha experiences a devastating emotional trigger while shopping at a grocery store when she unexpectedly lactates upon seeing a little girl. This physical response to her lost child profoundly shocks her, forcing her to confront the raw, ongoing nature of her grief in a public setting where she had hoped to function normally.

Foreshadowing: The coroner's appointment earlier reveals the baby died, setting up this moment as a manifestation of her unresolved grief.

  • grocery store
  • lactation
  • grief
  • breakdown
  • trigger

Movie threads

More Movies Like Pieces of a Woman, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Pieces of a Woman tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about grief and resilience like Pieces of a Woman

Profound stories of navigating immense personal loss while searching for a fragile hope. If you were moved by the heavy emotional journey in 'Pieces of a Woman', explore these similar dramas about profound personal loss. These films feature characters grappling with tragedy, strained relationships, and the slow, painful path toward healing and quiet strength.

  • grieving
  • somber
  • heavy
  • introspective
  • resilient
  • sorrowful
  • Tone: melancholic, sorrowful, bittersweet
  • Pacing: slow, deliberate, character-focused
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These narratives typically begin with a devastating loss or tragedy that shatters a character's world. The story then follows a linear, internalized exploration of their grief, often detailing the deterioration of close relationships and a painful confrontation with the past. The arc is not about a quick fix but a slow, authentic process of learning to live with loss, culminating in a hard-won sense of resilience.

Why they belong together: They are grouped together by their unflinching focus on the grieving process, their melancholic and heavy tone, and their commitment to portraying emotional devastation with honesty. They share a similar pace, allowing the audience to sit with the character's pain, and often conclude with a bittersweet, rather than purely bleak, sense of closure.

Movies about fractured marriages like Pieces of a Woman

Intimate portrayals of relationships crumbling under the weight of a shared tragedy. For viewers who appreciated the raw portrayal of a marriage under strain in 'Pieces of a Woman', this collection features similar stories of relationships tested by tragedy. These films explore how grief, blame, and differing coping mechanisms can slowly tear a couple apart.

  • tense
  • heavy
  • marital strife
  • emotional
  • somber
  • relationship drama
  • Tone: tense, melancholic, heavy
  • Pacing: slow burn, conversational
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a couple who face a life-altering crisis together. Instead of bringing them closer, the trauma exposes fundamental fissures in their relationship. The plot unfolds through tense domestic scenes and painful conversations, charting the increasing isolation of each character within the partnership. The story is less about external villains and more about the internal conflict and tragic incompatibility that emerges under extreme duress.

Why they belong together: These films share a specific focus on the dynamics of a intimate relationship breaking down. They are united by a slow, deliberate pacing that allows the tension to build naturally, a high emotional intensity derived from personal conflict, and a tone that is both tense and deeply melancholic.

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Every angle

Pieces of a Woman (2020) Explained: Plot, Ending, Timeline & Characters

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