PIECES OF A WOMAN - VANESSA KIRBY and ELLEN BURSTYN INTERVIEW

Pieces of A Woman is hard movie to watch but there is no question, it should not be missed.

After making its debut at the 77th Venice International Film Festival last August, Pieces of A Woman garnered a lot of buzz.

The film starts Vanessa Kirby (The Crown, Mission Impossible) as a woman who after a very difficult home birth loses the baby. Kirby's performance is so raw and riveting. She won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival and there is talk that she just might get a Best Actress Oscar nod. 

What follows is a couple dealing with the horrific grief of losing their child and the decision to take the midwife to court blaming her for the child's death.

Pieces of A Woman also stars Oscar winning actress Ellen Burstyn who plays Kirby's character's overbearing mother. She's a woman who has dealt with her own trauma in life having survived the Holocaust. And with no surprise, Burstyn's performance will surely garner her a Best Supporting Oscar nod.

The most talked about scene is the intimate and emotional 25 minute sequence showing Kirby's character giving birth.

All the filmmakers needed for the film is one take. It was definitely something she found the role frightening having never actually given birth in real life herself.

She started her research by talking to friends about their own childbirth experiences and watching a lot of documentaries. She felt that didn't do the trick. So she contacted a London based obstetrician who allowed Kirby to shadow her and spend time on a labor ward with the midwives. Ultimately, she ended up getting permission to watch a real live birth that took about 7 hours.

"Pieces of A Woman" is now streaming on Netflix.

I spoke with Vanessa Kirby and Ellen Burstyn about working on the film.