Exclusive Releasing has nabbed the U.S. rights to the sexually charged and critically polarizing drama "Two Mothers," a spokeswoman for the company told TheWrap.
The film is adapted from Nobel Prize-winning author Doris Lessing's short story, features a screenplay from Oscar-winner Christopher Hampton and stars Naomi Watts and Robin Wright as two women who embark on affairs with each other's sons.
Anne Fontaine ("Coco Before Chanel") directed the film, which premiered last week at the Sundance Film Festival to mixed reviews and audience laughter over its sultry plot developments.
Some critics, such as Damon Wise, liked the taboo-busting storyline.
"It may be divisive, but 'Two Mothers' is a vary rare exploration of the female psyche, which, with a little judicious editing, could have a long and interesting life," Wise wrote in the Guardian.
In the Hollywood Reporter, however, David Rooney griped that the cameras never should have followed the Oedipal gang into the bedroom.
"Despite her accomplished cast, French director Anne Fontaine summons neither the dramatic heft nor the humor to put across this absurd forbidden-love scenario," Rooney wrote.
The film will get a day-and-date release on VOD platforms and in theaters, Exclusive said.
The deal was negotiated by Exclusive head of acquisitions Matt Brodlie and CAA and head of Gaumont Intl Cécile Gaget.
