Trailer for the film “Maternal Instinct” starring Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain

An idyllic 1960s suburban life straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting comes crashing down as two mothers face off in the first trailer for Maternal Instinct.

Directed by Academy Award winners Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain, the film tells the story of two best friends whose relationship is irreparably damaged when tragedy strikes.

The first trailer for the film, the directorial debut of cinematographer Benoit Delhomme, was released this week by French production company StudioCanal, which has acquired UK and Irish distribution rights.

Check out the trailer for “Motherly Instinct” below, as well as what we know about the psychological thriller.

Watch the trailer for the film “Maternal Instinct”

The trailer shows the sisterly bond between Alice (Chastain) and Celine (Hathaway) as they raise sons around the same age in the same neighborhood.

But when Alice fails to save Celine’s son, Max, from falling from a balcony to his death, guilt and paranoia begin to creep into their seemingly perfect life.

“We need to separate grief from guilt,” Alice tells Celine, who retorts: “What guilt, Alice?”

Check it out here:

What is the film “Maternal Instinct” about?

Based on Barbara Abel’s 2012 novel of the same name, Maternal Instinct was first adapted into a Belgian film in 2018.

The trailer shows how the bond between the women begins to deteriorate after Max’s death, as Celine becomes increasingly suspicious of Alice. Alice, in turn, becomes increasingly ashamed of her failure to protect the boy as she worries that her former friend is seeking revenge.

Left without a son, Celine instead becomes close to Alice’s boy, Theo, further fueling the growing sense of mistrust between the once close friends.

Who else is filming? Cast of the film “Maternal Instinct”:

The film also stars The Good Wife actor Josh Charles and The Worst Man in the World’s Anders Danielsen, as well as Hathaway and Chastain as Celine and Alice’s husbands.

A release date for “Maternal Instinct” has not yet been announced.

Eric Lagatta covers the latest and trending news for USA TODAY. Contact him at elagatta@gannett.com.