WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Pieces of a Woman, currently in theaters and available on Netflix.
Netflix has certainly been tugging at the heartstrings of couples over the years, not just in the teen romantic-comedy genre, but also in the romantic-drama department. Then there's the straight-up drama field that pokes holes in the audience's minds and souls, leaving them with existential questions about love and life.
Two such films are 2019's Marriage Story and 2020's Pieces of a Woman, which have some common themes embedded. With that in mind, let's dissect these tear-jerkers and determine which heartbreaking movie is better.
Marriage Story focuses on Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) as they go through a divorce and custody battle over their son, Henry (Azhy Robertson). Charlie's career is blossoming in New York while Nicole's film and TV career is shooting off in LA, and she wants him there to be near to their child. But this leads to some dirty lawyer play and character assassination with Charlie's infidelity and Nicole's drinking being brought up. Ultimately, they amicably resolve things for Henry's sake, happy they still have some sort of connection.
Pieces of a Woman is a lot more somber and unsettling as Martha (Vanessa Kirby) struggles to cope after the death of her baby, pushing her husband Sean (Shia Laboeuf) away. He spirals back into drugs and an affair, while Martha fights with her mother, Liz, over her child's funeral and control in general. It ends with Sean leaving for Seattle, Martha freeing the midwife, Eva, in court, and her and Liz reconciling. To top it off, Martha's raising a girl in the end, trusting in people and life once more.
Clearly, the two movies are heavy, but ultimately, Marriage Story gets the nod for being just a bit more clever with the twist. Early on, Nicole writes down things she loves about Charlie in therapy, but she's unable to read it, infuriating him. This letter resurfaces when Henry finds and reads it with Charlie, causing the ex-husband to break down in the finale. Nicole sees the heartfelt moment, and it reminds her he's had a hard time too. The letter causes both to realize that that, while they weren't meant to last, they can be civil over the love and bond they share for Henry. It also helps that they have fragments of the letter reading strewn throughout the film, teasing the audience with hints for the entire duration, culminating in an argument where they confront their demons and own up to their selfishness.
With Pieces of a Woman, it's hard to feel this kind of emotional connection between Sean and Martha as he quickly begins cheating on her with Martha's own cousin after the death. Rather than confronting their issues like adults, he leaves halfway through. Sean doesn't play a big role afterward and the plot shifts more to Martha and Liz. It would have been better closure seeing the husband and wife iron out their depression, especially as their loss is much greater.
Sean and Martha's loss is also something real couples experience but don't often speak of, as there's much more trauma associated with it than the grief of a marriage split. Thus, Pieces feels like a missed opportunity to get into this thought-provoking mindscape that's often considered taboo, especially as Martha and Sean don't really try to repair their relationship. That said, both movies are filled with great performances and do cover relatable topics, but Marriage Story just has more depth to it with a more expansive and complete story.
Pieces of a Woman, starring Vanessa Kirby, Ellen Burstyn, Shia LaBeouf, Molly Parker, Sarah Snook, Iliza Shlesinger, Benny Safdie and Jimmie Fails, is currently in theaters and available on Netflix.