“thoroughly absorbing, granular adult drama based on difficult questions to which there are no right or wrong answer” (Hollywood Reporter)
Jess is pregnant. But it is more complicated than that. She is a surrogate for her two gay best friends. When they discover that the child will most likely be born with Down Syndrome, the moral dilemma deepens. In one of year’s best performances, Jasmine Batchelor plays Jess, a middle-class black woman of impeccable liberal credentials. She lives in a corner of the US remarkably free of racial prejudice, sexism and homophobia, but even though people start with the best of intentions, sometimes there are no easy options. This crowdfunded debut feature from Jeremy Hersh is as articulate as it is intelligent. It absolutely refuses melodrama in its depiction of people whose tragedy is that they are intent on doing the right thing.
“Lived-in performances from his excellent cast put the feelings in the forefront, showing us how painful it is to have to think through ideas about ourselves and the world we thought we understood.” (rogerebert.com)
“one of the year’s major discoveries” (moveablefest)
Jeremy Hersh
Jeremy Hersh is New York-based filmmaker. His short films, Natives (2013) and Actresses (2015) have played at the SXSW and Sundance festivals. The Surrogate is his debut feature.
