Renowned director Ryuichi Hiroki, known for his prolificacy, has surpassed expectations by releasing three high-profile movies in a span of three weeks in Japan. This achievement even outshines Takahiro Miki's impressive streak over the summer. With a diverse range of films, Hiroki proves that he is far from predictable. However, "Motherhood" raises questions about whether he may be stretching himself too thin.
In contrast to the director's more sophisticated work like "2 Women," a fictionalized biopic of author-turned-Buddhist nun Jakucho Setouchi, and the sentimental "Phases of the Moon," releasing the following week, "Motherhood" offers an inverted fairy tale. Adapted from Kanae Minato's 2012 novel, which shares similarities with Tetsu Maeda's lesser-known "And So the Baton Is Passed" (2021), this film presents a disappointingly limited perspective on the range of female experiences and questionable parenting.
The story revolves around two types of women: mothers and daughters. The restrained and fragile Rumiko (Erika Toda) belongs to the latter category and is afflicted by "mazakon" (a mother complex) in Japanese culture. She constantly defers to her overprotective mother (Mao Daichi), even when it comes to choosing a husband. This leads her to accept a proposal from the obviously unsuitable Satoshi (Masaki Miura). However, the real problems emerge when they have a daughter, Sayaka, and Rumiko finds herself unable to love her own child.
Anne Horiizumi's screenplay skillfully weaves together the conflicting narratives of Minato's novel, presenting scenes from both Rumiko and Sayaka's perspectives and employing a clever narrative device. However, the film falls short during a crucial house-fire scene where Rumiko must decide between saving her mother or her daughter and makes the wrong choice. Unfortunately, Hiroki stages this pivotal moment with the melodramatic flair of a daytime soap opera, and the film fails to recover fully.
As the story progresses, the mother-daughter conflict takes a backseat to disposable subplots involving Satoshi and his flighty younger sister (Rio Yamashita). Meanwhile, Rumiko tries to win the approval of her detestable mother-in-law (Atsuko Takahata). Sayaka's eventual suicide attempt, shown in the film's opening sequence, is almost treated as an afterthought.
In the hands of a director with a heightened sense of style, "Motherhood" could have evolved into a captivating Gothic melodrama. While there are occasional campy elements, such as Rumiko confessing her story to a priest in a confession booth, Hiroki fails to fully embrace the story's dark and ghoulish aspects, as he did in his film "Noise" earlier in the year.
A stronger lead performance could have enhanced the film's impact. Toda struggles to delve beneath the surface of her character and make Rumiko's coldness understandable. Without the tension between sympathizing with Rumiko versus Sayaka, the film's provocative subject matter loses its intended impact.
As "Motherhood" hastily rushes towards an unlikely and unearned happy ending, it offers only a fleeting glimpse of the potential it could have achieved. Perhaps this is indicative of Hiroki's eagerness to move on to his next project.
Motherhood (2022) - info
- Release date: October 5, 2022
- Genre: Drama, Mystery
- Director: Ryūichi Hiroki
- Writers: Kanae Minato (novel), Anne Horiizumi
- Stars: Mao Daichi, Masaki Miura, Mei Nagano