The official trailer for Magnet Releasing's eerie chiller, You Are Not My Mother, has dropped. The Irish horror film will be released in theaters and On Demand on March 25 and tells the story of a teen girl named Char whose missing mother returns home, but not exactly as herself. You Are Not My Mother serves as the feature debut for writer and director Kate Dolan, who has directed several memorable short films including 2017's Catcalls. The upcoming horror drama stars Hazel Doupe (Float Like a Butterfly), Carolyn Bracken (Dublin Murders), Ingrid Craigie (Citadel), and Paul Reid (The Ritual).
The unsettling trailer begins with Char waking up from a nightmare filled with ritualistic imagery. The viewer soon learns that Char's mother disappeared without a trace after she took her to school one morning. Then one night, Char's mother returns, but in her own words, something just doesn't feel right. Char's mom refuses to tell anyone where she has been, and her behavior becomes increasingly alarming, like sneaking into Char's room while she's sleeping and creepily asking if she's awake. As the trailer progresses, a woman tells Char through a voiceover that her mother is not really her mother as images of Char's mother shedding skin in the shower and performing a bizarre dance flash upon the screen.
You Are Not My Mother had its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival during the Midnight Madness stream. The film ended up being named first runner-up for the People's Choice Award for the Midnight Madness section. The film was also streamed at Sweden's Gothenburg Film Festival. You Are Not My Mother has already received much critical acclaim, earning a fresh score of 86 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Collider's own Matt Goldberg gave the film a positive review out of TIFF 2021.
Luckily, if the film's limited theatrical release doesn't reach certain audiences, they will be able to order the movie on-demand. Check out the official trailer, poster, and synopsis for You Are Not My Mother below:
“It’s the week before Halloween. Char’s bedridden mother, Angela, has mysteriously gone missing. All that remains is her abandoned car parked in the middle of a field. When Angela returns home to their North Dublin estate the following evening without explanation, it becomes clear to Char and her grandmother, Rita, that something is amiss. She might look and sound the same, but Angela’s behavior has become increasingly erratic and frightening, as if she has been replaced by a malevolent force. As Halloween approaches, a night steeped in ancient Irish myth and legend, Char must unearth the dark secrets of her family in order to uncover the truth behind her mother’s disappearance and save her, even if it means potentially losing her forever.”