Pieces of a Woman | 2020 | R | – 7.4.7

Why is “Pieces of a Woman” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “language, sexual content, graphic nudity and brief drug use.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a scene of near sex including nudity, a scene of implied sex including nudity, some nudity during a labor and delivery, a few kissing scenes, a home delivery ends in the death of the newborn, a civil trial against a midwife for malpractice, many arguments and at least 25 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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After the devastating loss of their newborn daughter, a man and a woman (Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf) contend with their deteriorating relationship, as well as conflict over a malpractice suit against the midwife that helped deliver the child. Also with Ellen Burstyn, Iliza Shlesinger, Benny Safdie, Sarah Snook and Molly Parker. Directed by Kornél Mundruczó. [Running Time: 2:06]

Pieces of a Woman SEX/NUDITY 7

 – A husband puts his wife’s hand in his pants and tries to kiss her; then he puts his hand in her pants, takes off his pants (we see his bare buttocks), they kiss and he carries her to their bed where he pulls on her pants (we see his genitals and pubic hair) and she tells him to give her a second; he leaves upset and frustrated. A married man with his pants down (we see some pubic hair) and a woman (not his wife) with her top open (we see her bra, cleavage and abdomen) are shown in an office where she adjusts her skirt and sex is implied.
► A woman in labor sits in a tub of water and we see cleavage, her bra, her bare abdomen, partial buttocks and genital area. A man helps a pregnant woman out of her pants after her water breaks (we see her legs to the mid-thighs). During delivery, we see a woman’s bare buttocks, abdomen and legs. A woman wears a low-cut top that reveals cleavage. A woman holds packages of frozen vegetables on her engorged breasts (we see her bare back). A woman wears a low-cut dress that reveals cleavage. A woman showers and we see her bare legs and the side of her bare breast.
► A man and a woman dance and kiss in a club. A man and a woman hug and kiss in a few scenes. A woman in labor pushes and is told that her child is in distress (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details).

Pieces of a Woman VIOLENCE/GORE 4

 – A woman holds her newborn and becomes concerned that something is wrong when the midwife says that the child is blue; she calls for the father to order an ambulance and the midwife tries to revive the infant.
► A woman checks the heartbeat of an unborn child a few times during labor and appears worried about the heartrate; she declares the infant is in distress and that the mother needs to push. Blood drips in water when a woman begins labor. A woman screams and pushes during labor, delivering her infant and the baby cries. A woman checks a woman’s cervix for dilation. A woman appears to be in pain and she breathes deeply having contractions in labor; her water breaks and a man mops up the floor. A wife accuses her husband of teaming up with her mother behind her back and they argue; they tussle over framed sonogram pictures and the glass breaks.
► A woman moans, burps and gags a few times during labor and asks, “Why do I feel so sick, so nauseous?” A woman says of labor pains, “This is awful.” During labor a woman says, “This hurts so bad,” “So terrible,” and “I can’t do it.” A crowd of people gathers and shouts outside a courthouse about the trial of a midwife. A man yells at a doctor after he tells him and his wife that they have no explanation for what caused the death of their newborn. A man tells another man that he is underwater with debt and that the man needs to take back a car that he just bought, and return his money. A wife yells at her husband and others while they choose a gravestone for their deceased newborn and the woman becomes enraged when the child’s name is misspelled. A woman confronts her son-in-law and asks if he is smoking. A husband pleads with his wife not to send their deceased newborn’s body to a research lab. A man at a bridge construction site yells at co-workers about completing the job. A woman returns to her office after her newborn’s death and people in the office look at her oddly; she finds a man at her desk and tells him to leave. People discuss the cause of a newborn’s death. A woman tells another woman, “You need therapy.” A woman tells her adult daughter, “If you had done it my way, you would be holding your baby right now.” A woman talks about her mother stashing her under the floorboards when she was young. A woman tells a man, “I’ve never liked you.” A woman gives a man money to leave her adult daughter alone.
► A woman sprinkles the ashes of her newborn into a river from a bridge. We see an infant’s skeleton in a laboratory. A woman asks if after her newborn’s death her organs can be donated for research. A woman goes into a bathroom stall and we see her pull down an adult diaper (partial legs are visible). A woman leaks breast milk onto her top when she sees a young girl in a store. A woman holds packages of frozen vegetables on her engorged breasts. A man throws an exercise ball at a woman across a room and she burns it with a lit cigarette, deflating it.

Pieces of a Woman LANGUAGE 7

 – About 25 F-words and its derivatives, 6 scatological terms, 2 anatomical terms, 3 mild obscenities, name-calling (jealous, pathetic, freaking out, super scared, embarrassing, swindler, liar, rough, stop it, stop, boorish, completely nuts, cheap, clown, monstrosity), exclamations (huh, wow, calm down brother, oh my goodness, hey), 17 religious exclamations (e.g. Oh My God, My God, Oh God, God). | profanity glossary |

Pieces of a Woman SUBSTANCE USE

 – A man snorts cocaine off a desk. A comment is made about someone having had a glass of wine, a man fills his work thermos with liquor, people are shown drinking in a club, a man drinks a glass of whiskey, and a man discusses his sobriety. A man smokes a cigarette, a woman smokes a cigarette, a woman smokes and blows smoke out a window, and a man smokes an e-cigarette.

Pieces of a Woman DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Home birth, complications in birth, midwives, death of a child, standing up for yourself, going against parental pressure, life choices, taking responsibility, burden of proof, trust.

Pieces of a Woman MESSAGE

 – Tragedy can break up relationships.