People are quick to paint parenthood as a paradise, 'Tully' director Jason Reitman says.
But fewer people discuss the utter fear and exhaustion that accompany caring for living, breathing children.
"It's scary to be a first-time parent," Reitman said from the red carpet of the film's Los Angeles premiere on Wednesday.
"You're not supposed to talk about that. It's supposed to be a blessing, but the truth is, you always feel like you didn't get the guidebook. You never know if you're doing the right thing."
'Tully' follows Charlize Theron's Marlo, a mother of three who struggles to stay afloat while catering to her young children, until Mackenzie Davis swoops in to save the day as Marlo's new nanny. For Theron, who had just welcomed her second child before production began, the script laden with motherly misadventures and woes was all too real.
"I think for all of us, it just felt very familiar," Theron told Reuters.
"It feels like something we all were either in or had just experienced, and we could really emotionally tap into that. ... I want to be honest and raw enough to say how messy it is to raise kids."
The collaborative process Theron underwent with Reitman and writer Diablo Cody helped the actress understand the universal plight of parents.
"Making this film has made me not feel alone," Theron said.
"Just even with sharing the script -- that process where I read the script, and I knew Diablo wrote this because she felt it -- like, okay at least there's one other person."
'Tully' marks the third film collaboration between Cody and Reitman.
Their first project together was 'Juno', a movie about a young soon-to-be mother that Cody wrote prior to her first pregnancy.
'Tully' will be released in Australia on May 10.
Australian Associated Press