Asa Ga Kuru (True Mothers), the poignant story of adoption told through Naomi Kawase’s poetic lens.

TRUE MOTHERS by Naomi Kawase

 

Having already presented seven films at the Festival de Cannes, Naomi Kawase is a familiar face among the Official Selection. Back in 2007, she swept the Grand Prix with her film Mogari no mori (The Mourning Forest). The Japanese director, 1997 winner of the Caméra d’or and president of the Cinéfondation and Short Film Jury in 2016, has once again wowed the Selection Committee with Asa Ga Kuru (True Mothers), her latest feature film that explores the topic of adoption in a poignant and sensitive way. The film, which was previewed last October during the “Cannes 2020 Special”, is released in France on July 28th.

Satoko and her husband are forever connected to Hikari, the 14-year-old high school pupil that gave birth to Asato, their adopted son. Today, Asato is 6 years old and the family lives happily in Tokyo. But Hikari, who wants to regain contact with the family, is determined to get them all back together…

Adapted from the 2015 novel by Mizuki Tsujimura that succeeded in sparking a nationwide discussion on the topic of adoption in Japan, Asa Ga Kuru (True Mothers) is a story seen from two sides: the first is that of a well-off, middle-aged couple who live in Tokyo and the second is that of their adopted child's adolescent mother, forced to give up her baby by her conservative parents. A complex story interspersed with flashbacks that Naomi Kawase handles with exceptional clarity and lots of humility.

We are once again witness to the director's impressionistic and sensory style through scenes bathed in hazy light and shots of translucent landscapes. A humanistic interpretation of a captivating story and a superb performance by actress Haju Makita, who brings Hikari's spiralling descent to life.