Perhaps the very best (animated) film about a single mother. A rich story about mothers, children, keeping smiling – and discovering who you want to be somewhere along the way.

When university student Hana falls in love with a mysterious young man, she discovers that he is the last of his kind: a wolf who can transform into a human and vice versa. Together they start a beautiful little family, until Hana suddenly finds herself alone with their two wolf children. Yuki is stubborn and curious, while Ame is quieter and more cautious. But both feel torn between the call of nature and human existence. Hana protects her offspring at all costs and even moves deep into the Japanese countryside. Their story is one that even wolves would cry over.

Although Yuki (the narrator) fears that she may be telling a simple fairy tale, director Mamoru Hosoda has created a deeply human and even realistic film (okay, apart from the transforming wolves). Hosoda was inspired by his own childhood and his mother, who raised him alone.

The man behind modern anime classics such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Mirai and Belle tells the story with great patience and a sense of the magic of everyday life. Despite its imaginative elements, Wolf Children feels wonderfully authentic. Love, nature, coming-of-age, grief and the painful but necessary art of letting go are seamlessly interwoven.