The official Japanese entry for Best International Feature Film of the 2021 Academy Awards, Naomi Kawase’s True Mothers conveys the tenderest qualities of humanity, despite recent allegations of Kawase’s violence on set. Apart from a couple of loan sharks in the film’s later plot, brutality has no place in the narrative drama itself. Interweaving the stories of a birth mother and an adoptive mother, True Mothers is a gentle and ruminative, if somewhat rambling, reflection on motherhood and adoption.
Satoko (Hiromi Nagasaku) and her husband Kiyokazo (Arata Iyura) have never tried to hide their son Asato’s (Reo Sato) adoption from him. When the five-year-old rolls over to place a hand on Satoko’s stomach and sweetly asks if he came from her tummy, Satoko patiently reminds him of his other mother, Hikari (Aju Makita)–his “Hiroshima Mommy.”
Despite the fact that True Mothers’ premise revolves around Asato’s birth, Kawase isn’t overly concerned with the child. First settling on the childless and loving relationship between Satoko and Kiyokazo, her focus then shifts to Hikari’s difficult circumstances leading to Asato’s birth and her inability to raise him. Following Asato’s adoption from an organization called Baby Baton, the adoptive couple’s story converges years later with Hikari’s. Misgivings cloud Satoko’s perception of Hikari, however, leading her to question the place of Asato’s “Hiroshima Mommy” in his life.
Based on the 2015 novel by Mizuki Tsujimura, True Mothers has the quiet depth of a strong literary adaptation. Asking what makes a family, it evokes themes similar to Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters. And, like Shoplifters, True Mothers turns our notion of family on its head and answers this question with the utmost compassion–affirming a mother’s love over societal expectations for her role in her child’s life.
There are different roles to play in motherhood, from giving life to nurturing a child throughout that life. True Mothers tenderly explores this theme, albeit not at all succinctly. At nearly two and a half hours, Kawase’s film wanders, but never loses its poignancy. Recommended.
What public library shelves would this title be on?
Public libraries should purchase True Mothers for narrative film and Japanese film library shelves.
What kind of film collection would this title be suitable for?
True Mothers is a great addition to film collections spotlighting movies from Japanese filmmakers.
Does this film have Public Performance Rights available?
Yes, for $200. The film can be ordered from Film Movement and is currently streaming for free on Plex.