Movie

True Mothers

2020 · 140 min

A patient, emotionally rich drama that moves between past and present, quietly examining motherhood and family bonds with tenderness.

Directed by: Naomi Kawase
Genres: Drama
Starring: Hiromi Nagasaku, Arata Iura, Aju Makita

Overview: After suffering through a long and unsuccessful series of fertility treatments, Satoko and her husband Kiyokazu make the decision to adopt a child. Six years after adopting a boy they named Asato, Satoko has quit her job to concentrate fully on her husband and son. The family lives a peaceful existence until the arrival of a stranger.

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Directed by: Naomi Kawase
Genres: Drama
Starring: Hiromi Nagasaku, Arata Iura, Aju Makita

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: melancholicstrength 2 of 3
warmstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 1 of 3
earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: parenthood
family
identity
isolation
love
Places: small town
big city
home
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: nonlinear
ensemble
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence none
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	1
Horror	0
Humour	1
Realism	9
Romance	2
Tension	4
Darkness	5
Complexity	7
Emotional weight	8

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Where to watch in the UK

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Details

Genres: drama
Directed by: Naomi Kawase
Written by: Naomi Kawase
Starring: Hiromi Nagasaku, Arata Iura, Aju Makita, Miyoko Asada, Hiroko Nakajima, Tetsu Hirahara, Ren Komai, Reo Satou
Music: Tôn Thất An, Akira Kosemura
Cinematography: Naoki Sakakibara, Naomi Kawase
Runtime: 140 min
Country: Japan
Languages: Japanese

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True Mothers

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