Directed by Naomi Kawase • 2020 • Japan
Starring Hiromi Nagasaku, Arata Iura, Aju Makita

After a long and unsuccessful struggle to get pregnant, Satoko (Hiromi Nagasaku) and her husband (Arata Iura) decide to adopt a child. Over the next six years, the middle-class couple and their young son, Asato (Reo Sato), settle into a comfortable, albeit routine, life. The family’s orderly existence is shattered by the arrival of Hikari (Aju Makita), a young woman claiming to be Asato’s biological mother, demanding his return. As tensions mount, Satoko grows more and more emboldened to defend her family. Weaving together multiple timelines and genres with contemplative pacing and a keen sense of place, acclaimed director Naomi Kawase crafts an emotionally rich, deeply compassionate look at the many definitions of motherhood.