Rebirth (2011)

In despair from a series of tragedies brought on by her affair with a married man, Kiwako (Hiromi Nagasaku) abducts her lover’s 6-month-old baby and raises the child as her own for four years before getting caught. Now a college-aged adult laden with her own relationship issues, the formerly abducted child Erina (Mao Inoue) confronts her repressed past with Kiwako to discover the truth about herself. A huge hit in Japan that never saw a stateside theatrical release, Rebirth swept the 2012 Japan Academy Film Prize in every major category, racking up 13 nominations and 11 wins, including Picture of the Year.

• Winner, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Mao Inoue), Best Screenplay at 2012 Japan Academy Film Prize
• Winner, Best Actress (Hiromi Nagasaku), 2012 Kinema Junpo Awards

“A long, complex, highly nuanced meller that plays like an aestheticized, post-feminist Stella Dallas.” —Variety

Streaming in the U.S. from February 5-25 as part of 21st Century Japan: Films from 2001-2020

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