True Mothers

Naomi Kawase's 'True Mothers' is an emotionally charged drama about motherhood in all its forms. Drawn with emotionally deep performances from the leading actresses, Hiromi Nagasaku and Aju Makita, the film focuses on the process, not the outcome. So, despite the slow burn and somewhat longer running time, it lingers in one's mind and heart in the best way possible and pays off in the end.

A bunch of emotionally stunted people who seems to do everything in slow motion. Half of the dialogues consist of people whispering as if they're constantly frightened. Very infantile and they seem to think almost everything is embarrassing.

Perhaps interesting for those studying Japanese culture but of no value to others who want to watch a movie to get some entertainment.

Slow, slow and once again slow. The plot could be presented in an hour instead of more than two. But there's a reason Japanese film rarely mean success on the international movie scene.

Turn it off before you even consider watching it!

I don't agree with the complaints of users that the movie is too long and slow-moving. It consistently held my interest. Yes, there are a few gaps in the plot. Many of the characters' personalities are too black and white -- there are basically good guys and bad guys. And the movie veers too stongly toward supports the notion of "the beauty of young love" -- young lust is usually more like it, with the unfortunate parents, portrayed as vicious here, left to pick up the pieces. Still, the movie is affecting, and you do feel for the main characters, even if, as I say, a little more nuance would have been nice.

Such a touching film. It's a little long, but by telling the stories of both the adoptive parents and biological mother in such careful ways, a load of emotional energy is built up over its runtime. Naomi Kawase gives us a woman's perspective on love and motherhood, and it's often in beautifully understated ways, like a few seconds showing the teenage boy going on with his life as before, a contrast to the young girl's world having been upended by her pregnancy. She's only 14 and gives up the baby regretfully then falls into a hard life on her own, paving the way for some commentary on class, with heart wrenching feelings amplified by beautiful cinematography.

Kawase handles these characters with such love, and we see compassion in so many little moments - the woman at the "Baby Baton" adoption agency providing non-judgmental refuge, the boss at the newspaper worrying about her and telling her a deeply personal story, and the wife's gentle reassurance to her husband when they decide to discontinue extracting his sperm (don't ask). One of the exceptions is the teenage girl's parents, who despite providing a stable home, make the mistake of giving her nothing but pragmatic instruction, without mixing in emotional support. Maybe that's what "true mothers" are, the ones who always want to be there for you, and who provide warmth above all else.

It was refreshing to be drawn from both perspectives. I think Naomi Kawase is one of the best Japanese direcors.