The Surrogate

Name: The Surrogate
Genre: Drama
Released: June 12, 2020
Duration: 93 min
Rating: 73
Cast: Brandon Micheal Hall, Brooke Bloom, Catherine Curtin, Chris Perfetti, Eboni Booth

2020

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Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews

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The Surrogate

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Movie Details & Credits

Monument Releasing | Release Date (Streaming): June 12, 2020 | Not Rated

Starring: Brandon Micheal Hall, Brooke Bloom, Catherine Curtin, Chris Perfetti, Eboni Booth, Hannah Cabell, Jasmine Batchelor, Sullivan Jones, Tonya Pinkins, William DeMeritt

Summary: Jess Harris (Jasmine Batchelor), a 29 year old web designer for a nonprofit in Brooklyn, is ecstatic to be the surrogate and egg-donor for her best friend Josh (Chris Perfetti) and his husband Aaron (Sullivan Jones). Twelve weeks into the pregnancy, a prenatal test comes back with unexpected results that pose a moral dilemma. As they allJess Harris (Jasmine Batchelor), a 29 year old web designer for a nonprofit in Brooklyn, is ecstatic to be the surrogate and egg-donor for her best friend Josh (Chris Perfetti) and his husband Aaron (Sullivan Jones). Twelve weeks into the pregnancy, a prenatal test comes back with unexpected results that pose a moral dilemma. As they all consider the best course of action, the relationship between the three friends is put to the test.… Expand

Director: Jeremy Hersh

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 93 min

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Critic Reviews

David Rooney

Jun 8, 2020

This clear-eyed ethical drama is propelled by a performance of stunning psychological insight and raw feeling from Jasmine Batchelor. But the film is rendered even more affecting by the careful consideration it gives to the impact of her character's fluctuating decision-making, both on the people directly involved and those on the fringes. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Nell Minow

Jun 12, 2020

There are many layers of complex, sensitive, and controversial subjects in The Surrogate, but writer/director Jeremy Hersh never lets it get preachy. Read full review

IndieWire Kate Erbland

Jun 10, 2020

As Jess, Jasmine Batchelor (the film marks her first starring role in a film, the actress also produced it) turns in one of the year’s best performances, profound work that twists an already propulsive concept into a riveting character study. Read full review

Dennis Harvey

Jun 11, 2020

That writer-director Jeremy Hersh’s debut feature is a screen original surprises, not because it’s “stagy” (though he has written plays), but because its engagingly argumentative virtues aren’t typical for movies anymore, if they ever were. Read full review

The Film Stage Jared Mobarak

Jun 10, 2020

The result can be frustratingly militant in its desire to show all angles of its central conflict (and how it sparks others), but the questions it makes us ask ourselves are worth it. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Jun 9, 2020

The tone ranges from testy to distraught, but always “adult” in the insistence on talking this out. Read full review

Glenn Kenny

Jun 11, 2020

The Surrogate feels like the vexed progeny of an elevator pitch and an ethics advice column. Read full review

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Brent_Marchant

Jun 26, 2020

A thorough (some might say exhaustive or even exhausting) look at surrogacy and what can happen when something goes wrong. While the film seems sincere enough in its intent and features fine performances across the board, its loquacious nature nevertheless takes over, as if it's ticking offA thorough (some might say exhaustive or even exhausting) look at surrogacy and what can happen when something goes wrong. While the film seems sincere enough in its intent and features fine performances across the board, its loquacious nature nevertheless takes over, as if it's ticking off items on a checklist of talking points that the screenwriter believed must be covered before picture's end. In that sense, this makes the film more like a college ethics class debate than an emotionally engaging story. Its tangents into other subjects at times seems a bit suspect, too, as if the filmmakers believed that a full palette of political correctness concepts needed to be addressed, using its central premise as a launching pad. Sadly, "The Surrogate" may have its heart in the right place, but its approach to its subject leaves something to be desired.… Expand

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