It takes a mother to make The Mother.

“The one thing I knew was that Jennifer Lopez would be playing the role of the Mother,” director Niki Caro recalls in a behind-the-scenes look at her new action thriller, The Mother. “I only had to read it once to understand that nobody else could’ve played that role. And I was going to make damn sure that nobody else was going to direct it either!” In the new video, Caro discusses her filmmaking process and Lopez’s physical presence as an action star. 

In The Mother, Lopez plays a retired assassin who finds herself drawn back into the field to protect her long-lost daughter from some very brutal old enemies. Along the way, the pair may just forge the family connection they never got the chance to make. The Mother is a thrilling and intense ride that will remind you to — yes — call your mom.

With an ensemble cast including Joseph Fiennes, Lucy Paez, Omari Hardwick, Gael García Bernal and Paul Raci, The Mother hits Netflix on May 12. Just in time for Mother’s Day.