Pieces of Us

Released 2025. Director: Ben Fullman

"ALL TOO OFTEN THESE DAYS ARTISTS JUST WANT TO TRY TO BE CLEVER, forgetting their first intention should be to make us feel.” I didn’t write that; it's a line from Pieces of Us that I absolutely agree with. I’m glad the filmmakers behind that statement held true to their belief, judging by this solid little drama packed with heartfelt sentiments.

As you can probably tell from the title, Pieces of Us is about people who feel broken and incomplete in some way. Given its premise there are plenty of opportunities to exploit its rich emotional currents, but the movie never falls into these traps. Instead, it is earnest in exploring genuine sympathies. This is a story about people. It’s interested in finding out what holds them back, what motivates them and what keeps them moving forward. Pieces of Us is a small indie film that could’ve been an early work of Kenneth Lonergan before he made You Can Count on Me.

The story takes place in Cornwall, England, and the two main characters are Delilah and Jack. She’s a painter who takes inspirations from the coastlines. He’s a visiting writer from California on a book tour. Delilah is often alone because her boyfriend spends so much time entertaining his clients that he even misses the opening of her gallery exhibition. Returning to where he once lived, Jack is haunted by the memories of his younger days. The two strangers meet at a park and begin a tentative conversation that leads to a shared past. The truth is surprising and unsettling, ultimately heartening and redemptive.

Sinead Ferguson makes a strong impression in her feature-film debut as Delilah. Having reconciled with the events that fractured her family, meeting Jack turns out to be Delilah’s next step towards peace and acceptance. Ferguson doesn’t portray Delilah as a victim of trauma and grief. Instead, her presence radiates calm and kindness, a refreshing acknowledgement that not all children of broken marriages carry a burden of anger and blame.

The characters feel real, because they don’t conform to a convention that you normally find in a movie that deals with similar situations. They are not there to move a plot, but to let us reflect, empathise and even be moved. Each character is given the time and space to enrich the story. While Delilah’s mum Evelyn is at the heart of the flashbacks, one crucial scene near the end brings her dad Patrick from the sidelines into the centre. Pieces of Us is character-driven, because their voices are heard and the consequences of what they say and do determine the course of the outcome.

The performances are natural, from Ferguson to Lisa Leilani (Evelyn), Rory Wilton (Patrick) and Tim Seyfert (Jack). Ben Fullman knows how to let his drama breathe and take a moment to make its mark without being tempted to over-direct as many first-time directors often do.

Pieces of Us is a quiet achievement, an independent film that deserves championing from everyone who loves cinema. From the polished photography by Andy Qualtrough to Fullman’s contemplative editing to the lush orchestral score by James Oliver Coulthard, the level of craftsmanship is unequivocal.

Seyfert, who also wrote the script (a writer playing a writer), returns to the themes explored in his previous films Nowhere and Terminus. Love and loss, heartbreak and healing, Seyfert’s stories embrace some of life’s most intense experiences but always underscore them with hope and compassion. His scripts demonstrate an ability to build upon relationship dynamics and an ear for dialogue.

Indeed the positivity and optimism of the movie is one of its greatest strengths. For a movie that keeps glancing over in flashbacks, Pieces of Us is ultimately focused on the future, on making connections and emotional growth, on people trying to make themselves whole again, from the pieces they clutch and hide away from others. You know the warmth that you feel when the sun is finally shining after days of gloom and cold? That’s what it’s like at the end of this gentle, pensive and uplifting experience.

"Pieces of Us" will premiere at the North East International Film Festival in Newcastle, UK, on October 25th, 2025. For more information on future screenings, visit www.kernowforniafilms.com

Click image above to view trailer. New window will open.

If you like what you read, please scroll down to join my mailing list and be notified of new reviews.