Mimi Maihane to co-star in Kazuo Umezu’s directorial debut “Mother”

By kevin on January 31, 2014 at 1:36am EST

Former Takarazuka Revue star Mimi Maihane will play the heroine of horror manga pioneer Kazuo Umezu’s upcoming film Mother.

In the film, which marks Umezu’s screenwriting and directorial at the age of 77, Maihane will play a woman named Sakura Wakakusa who’s lead editor of an autobiographical novel her company wants to publish about Umezu (played by kabuki actor Ainosuke Kataoka).

Maihane joined the all-female theater troupe Takarazuka Revue in 1993 and graduated in 2007. Since then, she’s been working as an actress in several stage plays and a TV drama, but this will be her film debut. She was personally selected for the role by Umezu from the audition.

The film features a unique mix of autobiography and horror, as an investigation into Umezu’s upbringing and relationship with his late mother Ichie (Kimie Shingyoji) leads to a situation in which Sakura must face a mysterious supernatural phenomenon. Realizing that Ichie had a big influence on Umezu’s work as a horror manga creator, Sakura’s research eventually unleashes a powerful ghostly grudge which creates an abyss of fear around them.

“Mother” will be released in Japan on September 27, 2014.

Source: Eiga.com