Losing a baby is a very hard time that many couples suffer in silence. Considered a taboo for a long time, it is a subject that little by little has begun to be touched more, helping to generate empathy and sensitivity towards those who have suffered it.
This week, Netflix has released the film ‘Fragments of a woman’ worldwide, which captures and shows us the agonizing process of a couple who suffer the death of their baby during childbirth .
What is ‘Fragments of a woman’ about
Martha (Vanessa Kirby) and Sean (Shia LaBeouf) are a couple who are expecting their first baby with great enthusiasm , although from the beginning it is shown that both come from very different backgrounds: she, an executive in a company -of a family wealthy – and he, a construction worker.
After taking her maternity leave, Martha prepares to receive her baby at home, but when the time comes when she will finally be born, her midwife cannot assist her and sends a colleague in her place, Eva. Initially everything seems to pass in order, until something goes wrong and within minutes of being born, the baby dies .
After this traumatic event, a grieving process begins for Martha and Sean, in which each processes all these feelings as best they can , while at the same time being pressured by Martha’s mother to sue the midwife for medical malpractice.
A film that opens the conversation about perinatal losses
Doing my best not to say more spoilers than are already known, I must say that ‘Fragments of a Woman’ is a realistic and emotional film, but it is also strong and raw, so it can be difficult to see for some people. .
I’m not a film critic by any means, but I can say that Vanessa Kirby’s performance as Martha is masterful , and after having seen the film I understand why she was awarded the best actress award at the 2020 Venice Film Festival and it is rumored that she will be nominated for an Oscar.
According to interviews with various media, she did everything to prepare herself to interpret her role in the most realistic way possible: she spoke with women who had gone through that experience, and also with midwives and gynecologists in a hospital , where she was even able to witness a delivery of six hours, with the mother’s permission.
The home birth, which consists of a sequence shot of more than 20 minutes, is possibly the most realistic childbirth that has been seen on the screen , and one that takes us through a series of different emotions: nerves, fear, joy and pain .
It is possible that after such a powerful start the rest of the story may seem slow or not very shocking, but from my point of view, everything that happens afterwards is what can help us better understand women and couples who have suffered a loss perinatal.
The scenes that continue after the loss of her daughter are difficult to watch, and we note that the apple takes on a special meaning for her (which we will understand near the end). Over the months following this heavy and traumatic loss, we see Martha change her relationship with the people around her as she tries to stay on her feet and move on .
In the end, ‘Fragments of a woman’ is just that, the story of a mother who does her best to collect the pieces and rebuild herself in her own way. A story that despite being painful, is also hopeful.
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