Natalie Portman has released a trailer for her directorial debut A Tale of Love and Darkness. Inspired by Israeli author Amos Oz’s novel of the same name, the upcoming film centers around Oz’s life as a child during the end of the British Mandate for Palestine in the 1940s, as well as during the founding period of the Jewish state of Israel. Apart from making her first attempt as a director, Portman also stars in the movie as Oz’s caring yet distressed mother.

Scheduled to hit the theaters on August 19, watch A Tale of Love and Darkness‘s trailer in the video above.