Los Angeles, Aug 13 (IANS): A new trailer for actor Natalie Portman's feature directorial debut "A Tale of Love and Darkness" has arrived.

There is no English dialogue in the trailer, but it is obvious that the movie highlights a story about a family dealing with misery in the midst of a massive war.

The film, based on an autobiographical novel of the same name by Israeli author Amos Oz, centres around the conflict between Israel and Palestine in the 1940s, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Portman stars as Fania, a mother who struggles with bipolar disorder while raising her son (Amir Tessler) amidst the riot in Jerusalem.

According to the official synopsis, it's "a family saga and a magical self-portrait of a writer who witnessed the birth of a nation and lived through its turbulent history. 'A Tale of Love and Darkness' is the story of a boy who grows up in war-torn Jerusalem, in a small apartment crowded with books in 12 languages and relatives speaking nearly as many. The story of an adolescent whose life has been changed forever by his mother's suicide."

Additionally, the film chronicles "the story of a man who leaves the constraints of his family and community to join a kibbutz, change his name, marry, have children. The story of a writer who becomes an active participant in the political life of his nation."

The movie premiered at Cannes International Film Festival earlier this year and still has no US release date as of now. It has garnered mixed reviews and some of them were critical of the film's dark tone.