--- title: "PIECES OF HER" year: 2022 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/pieces-of-her" fi1m_id: "pieces-of-her" imdb_id: "tt9170236" tmdb_id: 99002 wikidata_id: "Q62002493" fi1m_score: 55 critics_score: 56 critics_reviews: 8 published: "2026-09-25T01:38:21.443164+00:00" updated: "2026-09-25T01:38:22.658545+00:00" region: "MY" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # PIECES OF HER (2022) Created by Charlotte Stoudt · LPF 18 · Crime, Mystery, Drama ## Identity PIECES OF HER - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/pieces-of-her - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** pieces-of-her - **IMDb ID:** tt9170236 - **TMDB ID:** 99002 - **Wikidata ID:** Q62002493 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9170236/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/99002, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q62002493 **Fi1m score: 55** · Critics 56 from 8 reviews *In a sentence:* Toni Collette makes us suspicious; eight episodes give us time to get over it > Toni Collette gives this overlong family thriller a reason to keep watching, but the flashbacks repeatedly drain its momentum. A strong opening promises more urgency, and more feeling, than the series can sustain. ## Synopsis Laura Oliver (Toni Collette) and Andy Oliver (Bella Heathcote) are at the centre of a mother-daughter mystery, with Gordon Oliver (Omari Hardwick) among the people involved. The story opens with a burst of action before reaching into the past, where earlier events begin to explain the present. As it moves between timelines, revelations complicate the family drama and raise questions about what the two women know about one another. Their relationship runs through a crime story in which new information keeps changing the situation they face. ## Review *PIECES OF HER* gives Toni Collette a mystery to carry and then keeps finding reasons to put her aside. Created by Charlotte Stoudt from Karin Slaughter’s novel, this eight-episode series begins with enough urgency to suggest that the telling will be brisk. It is a mixed thriller: an arresting opening, a performance worth watching and too much time spent waiting for the next useful piece of information. We can see the appeal of the complications, but they do not justify the length. Director Minkie Spiro makes the opening action feel immediate and dangerous. We were gripped by its violence, and disappointed when the subsequent explanations failed to sustain that tension. Spiro gives the drama credible surroundings before asking us to accept its complications. That helps a mystery: we need to believe that these people have lives beyond the information they are keeping from one another. Collette’s Laura Oliver remains the main reason to continue. She gives the character enough emotional weight to keep us interested through some circuitous storytelling. Opposite her, Bella Heathcote’s Andy Oliver has less help from the writing, which needs the mother-daughter relationship to matter without spending enough time developing it. We wanted more scenes of these women simply dealing with one another, before another revelation arrived to redirect their attention. Cinematographer Ole Birkeland and production designer Steven Jones contribute to the credible surroundings that make the action effective. Their work serves the thriller without giving the quieter stretches much interest of their own. The music, credited to Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans and Chase Deso, maintains unease efficiently enough, though it becomes harder to respond as the pace slackens. Those passages need more sharply written exchanges between the characters, rather than further encouragement to anticipate trouble. The flashbacks are where Stoudt’s series becomes most wearing. Going into the past can give a thriller fresh urgency, but these passages too often interrupt what has already begun to interest us. They also mean less time with Collette, an unfortunate choice when she is doing so much to hold our attention. As the explanations accumulate, the pace slackens and the family drama gets no richer. Eight episodes start to feel like a requirement the story has been asked to meet. Some of the turns still land, and it would be unfair to pretend that nothing here gives the patient viewer a jolt. Spiro can make a sudden change of direction register, and Collette gives the surrounding material more conviction than it earns on the page. Yet a family mystery needs discoveries to change how we feel about the people involved. Too often, we are merely being told something else about them, followed by another stretch of explanation. The familiar promise of this kind of thriller is that knowing a family more closely will make it more unsettling. There are glimpses of that programme here, particularly whenever Collette can take charge of a scene, but not enough to sustain the length. We would not recommend committing to it for the twists alone. If Collette is the attraction, be prepared to wait while the series attends to other business. *Fi1m score 55, published 25 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews are mixed on Pieces of Her, with praise clustering around Toni Collette rather than the thriller built around her. Most critics single out her performance for its watchability and emotional depth, including several who find the series otherwise underdeveloped. The opening intrigue and plentiful twists earn some approval, but there is little agreement on whether they sustain the story across its length. The spread is wide: The Guardian finds the succession of twists, murder and mayhem thoroughly entertaining, while several other reviews describe an overlong series that loses momentum. Reservations centre on predictable plotting, disruptive shifts between timelines and a mother-daughter relationship that needs more emotional substance. Variety argues that the explanatory flashbacks too often sideline Collette. IndieWire offers a distinct note of praise for Minkie Spiro’s grounded world-building and action scenes, while finding that the actors have too little emotional material to work with. ## Straight answers **Is PIECES OF HER worth watching?** *PIECES OF HER* is a mixed family thriller we score 55 out of 100, worth considering chiefly for Toni Collette’s performance. We find the violent opening gripping, but repeated flashbacks slow the mystery and leave the mother-daughter relationship underdeveloped across eight episodes; we would not recommend it for the twists alone. **How long is PIECES OF HER, and what is it rated?** *PIECES OF HER* is rated 18 by the LPF in Malaysia. It is a crime and mystery series. **Where can I watch PIECES OF HER in Malaysia?** *PIECES OF HER* is streaming on Netflix in Malaysia. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is PIECES OF HER, and is it suitable for children?** *PIECES OF HER* carries a UK 15 certificate and is not suitable for children, with an opening burst of violence that we find immediate and dangerous. It suits older teenagers and adults comfortable with violent thrillers, though we find the sustained unease less effective as the pace slackens. **How does PIECES OF HER compare to A History of Violence?** *PIECES OF HER* is the more drawn-out family mystery, while [*A History of Violence*](https://film.one/film/a-history-of-violence) is the sharper, more unsettling choice for a story about buried history. We recommend the film for its tighter telling and a marriage that gives its danger emotional weight; the series relies heavily on Collette while its flashbacks repeatedly interrupt the tension. **Is PIECES OF HER based on a true story or a book?** *PIECES OF HER* is adapted from Karin Slaughter’s novel, rather than presented as a true story. Knowing the book is not a prerequisite: the series supplies extensive explanations of its family mystery, though we find that these too often slow the drama rather than deepen it. **What should I watch after PIECES OF HER?** After *PIECES OF HER*, try [*A History of Violence*](https://film.one/film/a-history-of-violence) (2005, Fi1m 88): Another family thriller about buried history, with considerably less dawdling. Then [*Mildred Pierce*](https://film.one/film/mildred-pierce-1945) (1945, Fi1m 83): Mother-daughter tensions give the crime story a sharper emotional purpose; and [*Unforgotten*](https://film.one/tv/unforgotten) (2015, Fi1m 64): Patient investigations make the damage of old secrets matter to ordinary people. ### Reviews we read (8) - **The Guardian** (3 out of 5 stars): The review finds the series thoroughly entertaining. It singles out the torrent of twists, turns, murder and mayhem for praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/series/tv-review/2022/mar/04/all) - **Radio Times**, Lauren Morris (70/100, inferred): The review presents the thriller as intriguing and clearly positive. It singles out Toni Collette as stealing the show. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/pieces-of-her-netflix-review-comment/) - **The AV Club**, Saloni Gajjar (B-): Gajjar finds the series watchable but mediocre, with a predictable payoff and a plot that lags between timelines. She singles out Toni Collette’s stirring performance as the element that most elevates the show. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/netflix-pieces-of-her-review-1848594131) - **The Independent**, Annabel Nugent (3/5): Nugent finds the series an overlong, often tiresome thriller despite its gripping opening. She praises Toni Collette’s watchability and the story’s shocking, well-executed twists. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/pieces-of-her-netflix-toni-collette-review-b2033903.html) - **IndieWire**, Ben Travers (C-): Travers finds the series a silly, overly safe thriller that fails to explore its mother-daughter drama. He praises Minkie Spiro’s grounded world-building and action scenes, but says the actors are left without enough emotional material. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/pieces-of-her-review-netflix-series-toni-collette-1234703526/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Angie Han (30/100, inferred): Han finds the series a hollow, bland thriller that loses steam and emotional force as its twists unfold. Toni Collette’s performance is the standout, bringing coherence and depth to an otherwise chilly, underdeveloped story. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/netflix-pieces-of-her-tv-review-1235103869/) - **Variety**, Daniel D'Addario (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the series initially intriguing but ultimately overlong and weakened by its explanatory flashbacks. Toni Collette’s performance is praised, though the show too often sidelines her in favor of extended scenes set in the past. [Read](https://variety.com/2022/tv/reviews/pieces-of-her-netflix-review-1235193031/) - **Paste**, Shane Ryan (5.7/10): Ryan finds the series a middling, formulaic thriller that becomes a slog and never feels captivating. He praises Toni Collette’s performance as its clear bright spot. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/pieces-of-her/pieces-of-her-review) ## Details - **Created by:** Charlotte Stoudt - **Creator:** Charlotte Stoudt - **Director:** Minkie Spiro - **Writer:** Anna Fishko, Dan LeFranc, Sharon Hoffman, Charlotte Stoudt, Jerome Hairston, Michelle Denise Jackson - **Teleplay:** Charlotte Stoudt - **Novel:** Karin Slaughter - **Cinematography:** Ole Birkeland - **Music:** Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans, Chase Deso - **Production design:** Steven Jones - **Costume design:** Joanna Mae Park - **Producer:** Toni Collette, Anne M. Uemura, Louisa Kors - **Cast:** Toni Collette as Laura Oliver; Bella Heathcote as Andy Oliver; Terry O'Quinn as Martin Queller; Omari Hardwick as Gordon Oliver; Jessica Barden as Jane; Aaron Jeffery as Nick Harp; David Wenham as Jasper Queller; Damien Strouthos as Music Shop Owner - **Certificate (LPF):** 18 - **Release (Malaysia):** 4 March 2022 - **Genres:** Crime, Mystery, Drama - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJwPc0MsbOQ ## Where to watch in Malaysia - Netflix: streaming *Checked 2026-09-25.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *A History of Violence* (2005), Fi1m 88: Another family thriller about buried history, with considerably less dawdling. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-history-of-violence.md) - *Mildred Pierce* (1945), Fi1m 83: Mother-daughter tensions give the crime story a sharper emotional purpose. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/mildred-pierce-1945.md) - *Tell No One* (2006): A tangled mystery that keeps moving while its emotional stakes remain clear. - *Mother* (2009): Maternal devotion makes this crime drama increasingly uncomfortable to sit through. - *Unforgotten* (2015), Fi1m 64: Patient investigations make the damage of old secrets matter to ordinary people. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/unforgotten.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/pieces-of-her