Sometimes, a cinematographer works enough with an actor that when they’re set to do their directorial debut, that actor is in. That seems to be the case with “Mother’s Instinct,” the directorial debut of well-renowned French DP Benoît Delhomme. Known for films like Anton Corbijn’s “A Most Wanted Man” and Julian Schnabel’s “At Eternity’s Gate,” he’s also worked with Jessica Chastain a few times on “Lawless,” “Wild Salome,” and some photography work he did for Terrence Malick’s “Tree Of Life.” So perhaps the favor extends to starring in “Mother’s Instinct,” Delhomme’s directorial debut, which will arrive later this year via NEON.
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2024
We haven’t even gotten to the best part. It’s a two-hander that stars Chastain opposite Anne Hathaway. The two play 1960s suburban housewives whose friendship rapidly deteriorates after a tragedy.
A remake of Olivier Masset-Depasse’s 2018 French-language film of the same name, the film also co-stars Josh Charles and Anders Danielsen Lie.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Alice and Celine live a traditional lifestyle with successful husbands and sons of the same age. Life’s perfect harmony is suddenly shattered after a tragic accident. Guilt, suspicion, and paranoia combine to unravel their sisterly bond.
Last year, Chastain compared the film a little bit to the classic psychological thriller, “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?”
“Annie and I… we had a lot of fun in that movie. And it’s a throwback to another… I like to think of it like a little bit of ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’” Chastain told IndieWire in April. “Of course, it’s a different kind of film, but it’s this idea of these two actresses coming together and playing this… the tension, I think, is very interesting. Thank god Annie and I love each other, so it’s a little different than that experience.”
Neon will release “Mother’s Instinct” later this year. But so far, it’s only Studio Canal in the U.K., and all they’re teasing is “coming soon.” Either way, you can bet it’s way up there on our Most Anticipated Films of 2024 list. Watch the first trailer below.