Earlier this year, it was expected that Naomi Kawase was going to make her return to Cannes, where she has screened a number of her films over the years, to premiere her highly-anticipated drama, “True Mothers.” Unfortunately, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, “True Mothers” won’t get to premiere in France, but it was recently added to the list of Cannes 2020 Official Selections.
And now, we finally get our first look at “True Mothers,” as a teaser for the film has been released. Kawase’s film is based on Mizuki Tsujimura’s novel of the same name and tells the story of a young couple that is struggling with infertility. And after a long battle to try to have a child biologically, the couple instead decides to adopt a child. Then, six years later, a woman claiming to be the young child’s biological mother comes into their lives and extorts them for money.
Obviously, “True Mothers” would have probably been in competition for the Palme d’Or this year if the Cannes Film Festival wasn’t canceled. Instead, we’ll have to see if the film will play in any of the fall festivals. As mentioned, Kawase is one of the most acclaimed female filmmakers working today, with films such as “Firefly,” “The Mourning Forest,” and her most recent Cannes film, “Radiance.”
It’s unclear when we might expect to see “True Mothers” actually released in theaters, as the fall film festivals have yet to announce their lineups and the pandemic has still forced many cinemas around the work to stay closed. But when Kawase’s latest drama arrives, we’ll definitely be excited to see the return of one of the best auteurs working today.