''The Surrogate'' is a 2020 American LGBT-related

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

written and directed by Jeremy Hersh, in his feature film debut. The film stars Jasmine Batchelor, Chris Perfetti, Sullivan Jones, Brooke Bloom, Eboni Booth and William DeMeritt. The film premiered on June 12, 2020 in

virtual cinema Virtual cinema is a video-on-demand streaming service facilitated by independent film distributors and art-house theaters to release new films and share profits. Under the service, part of the admission price supports a physically located theater. ...

s, due to the

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, and received generally positive reviews. The film was released to streaming services on September 1, 2020.

Plot

Jess agrees to be a surrogate mother for her best friend Josh and his husband Aaron. When a prenatal test reveals that the baby will likely be born with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

, complications arise between the three of them. Josh and Aaron are unsure if they are prepared to care for a special needs child, and the associated financial costs, so they suggest Jess have an abortion. Jess, on the other hand, has different plans, she researches what it will take to raise a special needs child by talking to knowledgeable mothers and looking into public assistance.

Cast

* Jasmine Batchelor as Jess *

Chris Perfetti Chris Perfetti (born December 12, 1988) is an American actor. He currently portrays Jacob Hill on the ABC comedy ''Abbott Elementary'', for which he was nominated for a Critics' Choice Award. His other roles include Tim Fletch on the NBC series ...

as Josh * Sullivan Jones as Aaron * Brooke Bloom as Bridget * Eboni Booth as Samantha * William DeMeritt as Pierre *

Purva Bedi Purva Bedi is an American actress. She has appeared in many television serials and several films, including ''Green Card Fever'', ''American Desi'', and ''Cosmopolitan''. She has also starred in an episode of ''House''. Her most recent appearanc ...

as Diana * Leon Addison Brown as Stephen Harris *

Tonya Pinkins Tonya Pinkins (born May 30, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Her award-winning debut feature film ''RED PILL'' was an official selection at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, won the Best Black Lives Matter Feature and Best First Fea ...

as Karen Weatherston-Harris *

Brandon Micheal Hall Brandon Micheal Hall (born February 3, 1993) is an American actor. On television, he starred as the lead of the ABC sitcom '' The Mayor'' (2017) and the CBS comedy-drama ''God Friended Me'' (2018–2020). Hall also appeared as a series regular o ...

as Nate * Layla Khoshnoudi as Gertrude *

Jennifer Damiano Jennifer Damiano (born May 12, 1991) is an American actress and singer. She made her Broadway debut in 2006 as an ensemble member in the original production of ''Spring Awakening'', and went on to originate the role of Natalie Goodman in the mus ...

as Rachel *

Catherine Curtin Catherine Curtin is an American actress. She is best known for her role as correctional officer Wanda Bell in the Netflix comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019). Her other notable recurring roles include '' Insecure'', ' ...

as Sarah

Production notes

During his initial research for the project, Hersh posted on a

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looking for an actual surrogate for consultation and advice for the film. Someone then took a screenshot of the message and posted it in a Facebook group, where he met a woman willing to relay her experiences. Hersh also consulted with her during the pre-production of the film. In an interview with ''

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'', Hersh revealed that lead actress Jasmine Batchelor had never been in a film before, but her "level of craft was at this incredibly high caliber". Hersh found Batchelor through Erica Hart, the casting director, who had been following the actress ever since seeing her perform at

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

. The film does not have a music soundtrack, instead relying on the dialogue alone.

Critical reception

Nell Minow of '' RogerEbert.com'' said the film has "many layers of complex, sensitive, and controversial subjects...but Hersh never lets it get preachy...he keeps the focus on the characters and their struggles to reconcile one of life's most painful dilemmas, the sometimes- vertiginous gap between what we think and what we feel". She rated the film 3.5 out of 4. Dennis Harvey wrote in his review for ''

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'' that the film is "engrossing and very well-acted". He also argued that Hersh could have just taken the safe route of stereotypical tropes like "debating the rights of the disabled...the hierarchy of blacks vs. gays as societal underclasses", but instead he took this " garrulous but always psychologically plausible tale" and didn't let the film turn into that kind of "dramatized abstract...its characters may illuminate a number of thorny issues, but they never exist just to illustrate them". ''

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'' said the film is driven by a performance of "stunning psychological insight and raw feeling" from Jasmine Batchelor. They also praised Hersh for making the film "compelling and grounded in a firm foundation of what feels like an authentic experience". Kate Erbland from ''

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'' gave the film a grade of B+. She also praised Batchelor's performance calling it "riveting and raw". Erbland noted that while this is Hersh's first feature film, he doesn't quite "stick the landing...but its path through thorny questions and seemingly unanswerable dilemmas makes for a thought-provoking, well-crafted watch". Glenn Kenny from ''

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'' deviated from the mainstream view, saying the film "feels like the vexed progeny of an

elevator pitch An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They are ...

and an ethics advice column". He concluded with sharp criticism for Hersh, stating he portrayed the characters Josh and Aaron, "as glib and shallow bourgeois brats he clearly had conceived them as all along". '' Film Threat'' said the movie "strives to hit every emotional string you have in your body...it is definitely an emotional rollercoaster but can be considered too much for some viewers". They rated the film 6/10. The critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: "Led by an outstanding performance from Jasmine Batchelor, ''The Surrogate'' probes the heart of a thorny dilemma with strength and sensitivity". On

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the film has a score of 73% based on reviews from 12 critics.

References

External links