Pieces of a Woman Page #4

Synopsis: When a young mother's home birth ends in unfathomable tragedy, she begins a year-long odyssey of mourning that fractures relationships with loved ones in this deeply personal story of a woman learning to live alongside her loss.
Genre: Drama
Year:
2020
450 Views


– I’m good. Yeah.

Yeah? Yeah.

You know, your mom tells me absolutely everything.

I know everything, yeah.

Gosh, it’s so horrible.

It’s all that swindler’s fault.

She will surely rot in prison. I promise.

There will be consequences.

[indistinct]

Nice shirt.

Thank you.

You’re welcome.

Put your seat belt on.

[seat belt clicks]

– Want some music?

No.

Penny for your thoughts.

None.

Martha, there’s something. I know you’re worried.

About this. Worried what they’re gonna find.

– What they’re gonna find?

Yeah.

[Martha] A glass of wine before we f***ed?

Or that I had sushi?

Or do you mean, uh… like your stuff?

[Sean] My stuff.

My… Like my sobriety?

Yeah, I mean, well, it’s not even been like, what, like…

– Long time.

Mm-hmm.

Six years, five months, three days.

Four days.

Four days.

[man] We don’t have theories regarding the cause of death.

During the criminal autopsy,

we ran histology, toxicology and microbiology screens.

The results of the exam show no signs of a preexisting infection,

chromosomal abnormality or irregularity of the placenta.

What we did determine was the little girl was in a low-oxygen environment.

In 60% to 70% of these cases, we rarely find a satisfactory explanation.

– You’re a doctor, yeah? What’s your name?

Dr. Ron.

Dr. Ron. You’re a doctor, Dr. Ron. [laughing] You’re a f***ing doctor.

[Dr. Ron] There are certain things, medically, we just don’t have answers for.

There’s already proceedings against the midwife

and there will be a medical expert opinion very soon to determine…

What about your medical expert opinion? You’re a medical expert.

I mean, what do you… You don’t know anything.

If it could have been prevented, who’s at fault.

You don’t know sh*t is what you’re saying.

[Dr. Ron] There are certain questions I can’t answer.

What can you answer at the moment? Right now?

[Dr. Ron] What is certain is that the proceedings have begun and there…

F***!

Uh, sorry.

[sniffling]

I’m gonna go outside. Sorry.

[Dr. Ron] These things could take time.

[Martha] Where is she now?

– [Dr. Ron] She’s in the morgue.

[Sean sniffling]

Is it possible to donate the organs?

No. The criminal medical expert has excluded that.

Oh.

Some decide to…

offer the body…

for medical science and educational purposes.

Very sorry for your loss.

Thank you.

– [Martha] What do I owe you?

[driver] Twenty-five dollars.

[Martha] Twenty-five. There you go. Thank you.

– [driver] Thank you.

[Martha] Bye.

[Elizabeth] You need to pick which inscription you like, honey.

Your grandmother is resting in the family grave.

– What’s wrong with…

Did you write that?

[man] Yes.

– You wrote that?

[man] Yes.

That isn’t my daughter’s name. It’s Yvette.

Starts with a “Y,” ends with an “E.”

“Yvette.”

[man] I’m sorry.

Don’t blame him. Sean dictated it to him.

Yeah, great-grandmother, Hungarian spelling.

So it’s not at the end of the name list forever.

[Martha] That doesn’t make any sense at all

because name lists are by last name.

And we chose the American spelling for you.

[Sean] Yeah, but it’s a small detail, Martha.

Small detail.

[Sean] Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, you’re right.

No, it is a small detail.

Small detail. ‘Cause there’s not… There’s not gonna be a funeral anyway…

– There’s not gonna be a funeral.

[Sean] I didn’t mean it like that.

– [Martha] Not gonna be a gravestone.

[Sean] Martha? I’ll change the spelling.

– Can you at least pick which style?

[Martha] It’s all one big waste of time.

What?

[Elizabeth] Martha.

Martha!

– Can you just pick a style today?

[Anita] Martha!

There’s really no point. I’m gonna donate her body

to the university, so…

This is just like…

[Anita] Martha!

[Martha muttering] Complete waste of time.

Martha! Come on!

Oh.

Can I have one?

Please, go ahead.

Just… keep the order and we’ll make a few small changes

and I’ll pay for it.

No, I’d like to pay for it.

I’d like to pay for it.

Thank you.

There’s some stuff I can pay for.

[Elizabeth] Sean, don’t smoke it. You’ll relapse.

– Sean, where are you going?

[Sean] Five minutes.

F***.

[Elizabeth] Sean.

[Sean clears throat]

[Elizabeth] She needs help.

She doesn’t know what she’s doing.

I mean, she’s just piling mistake upon mistake.

[Elizabeth sighs]

That’s why it’s our job to show her what’s right.

What does that mean?

You know Suzanne, right? Her cousin?

– No.

No?

Well, she’s just a remarkable girl.

She has a beautiful office downtown.

She said that she will take on and handle a civil suit for us,

if I put all the documentation in her hands.

– You want me to give you the paperwork.

Exactly.

Mm.

Yeah, I gotta talk to Martha about that first.

Really?

My… Don’t you want someone to answer for this monstrosity?

Martha can’t sort through all of this now.

That’s why I thought

maybe you might take a little responsibility for a change.

[Sean scoffs]

Well, really.

Yeah, I’d like to hand it to her myself, if you don’t mind.

When?

Soon.

Well, you better.

Let me out at the next corner. I wanna walk the rest of the way.

You don’t want me to take you to the door?

No, I feel like I need a little air.

[door opens]

Hi.

[Sean] Hey.

[Martha] Are you smoking?

Sorry.

– Good day?

Yeah.

– You?

Yeah, it was good.

[Sean] We should talk about a civil case, Martha.

We gotta finish this.

You know, I’ve come back from death before. Dark, cold.

Really dark, really cold.

And now she’s in the dark and the cold and I can’t do anything about it.

My hands are sort of tied here.

Please, Martha.

I’m not your mother.

I’m your partner, yeah? It’s a team thing.

Can we please talk, Martha?

Martha?

Please come out.

[crying] I miss her.

I miss her. Please, Martha.

I’m sorry. I just need you to promise me you won’t…

You can’t send her anywhere.

Please.

Promise me.

I promise.

[indistinct chatter]

[Elizabeth] Sean told me I might find you here.

He’s beside himself.

You two best friends now?

[Elizabeth] Well, there are things we agree on.

Does he have a choice in that?

Martha, wait a minute. Martha, please.

I’m not trying to change your mind. I know I can’t do that.

I understand that you made up your mind to give your baby for medical research.

The only thing I’m asking of you is that when it’s all over…

that we get her back so we can bury her.

That’s all. That’s the right thing to do, honey.

Because you say it is? Yeah.

Do you really wanna put your little baby’s body on a mass grave

like an animal?

Oh, my God. [chuckles]

[Elizabeth] That’s funny to you?

Yeah. So cheap.

– [Elizabeth] Martha.

Mm-hmm.

Thank you for waiting.

Okay.

There you go. Sign here.

Yep.

And a signature here as well.

There’s one more at the bottom as well.

[keypad beeping]

[door buzzes open]

[Sean] Hello. Looking for Suzanne Weiss.

[woman] Yes, go straight down to your left.

Thank you.

[indistinct chatter]

– [Suzanne] And who’s this?

[receptionist] Your 5:30.

Oh. Hey.

– [Sean] Hi. Hey.

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Kata Wéber

Kata Wéber is a Hungarian screenwriter, playwright and former actress who often works with her husband, director Kornél Mundruczó. Wéber wrote White God, Jupiter's Moon and Pieces of a Woman. more…

All Kata Wéber scripts | Kata Wéber Scripts

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Submitted by Soulwriter on July 08, 2021

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