The Surrogate (2021) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

Jess faces a deeply personal pregnancy decision amid disagreement with the intended parents and her family, while the available story leaves her choice unresolved.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

Private News and New Ties

An opening conversation considers commitment, while friends celebrate a pregnancy and the expectant mother tries to keep the news private. The discussion then introduces Jess's pregnancy for Josh and Aaron.

Key Events

• Uncertain Commitment — Nate's companion enjoys their time together but does not want him to wait for her. Characters: Nate Location: Not specified
• Pregnancy Celebration — Friends celebrate a pregnancy and discuss a possible baby name. Location: Not specified
• News Kept Private — The expectant mother tries to keep the pregnancy news private. Location: Not specified
• Jess's Surrogacy — The discussion establishes that Jess is carrying a child for Josh and Aaron. Characters: Jess, Josh, Aaron Location: Not specified

The Diagnosis Question

As the pregnancy progresses, the adults face the possibility that the baby has Down syndrome. Jess discusses the condition and emphasizes an honest account of both medical risks and people's lives.

Key Events

• Pregnancy Progresses — As the pregnancy progresses, the adults confront a possible diagnosis of Down syndrome. Characters: Jess Location: Not specified
• Researching Down Syndrome — Jess discusses information and stresses an honest view of risks and people's lives. Characters: Jess Location: Not specified
• Abortion Preference — Josh and Aaron decide they want an abortion, and Jess agrees to an appointment. Characters: Jess, Josh, Aaron Location: Not specified
• A Difficult Appointment — Jess agrees to the appointment, but the decision weighs heavily on her. Characters: Jess Location: Not specified

Family Judgment and Autonomy

Jess agrees to an abortion appointment but feels its weight. She tells her family about her own past abortion, and a disagreement with her mother brings Jess's desire for approval into conflict with her insistence on making her own choice.

Key Events

• Jess Shares Her Past — Jess tells her family that she once had an abortion and believed it was right for her then. Characters: Jess Location: Not specified
• Conflict with Her Mother — Jess's mother challenges rejecting the fetus because of Down syndrome and raises future-care concerns. Characters: Jess Location: Not specified
• Claiming Independence — Jess insists she is an adult who must make her own choice, despite wanting her mother's approval. Characters: Jess Location: Not specified

An Unsettled Agreement

Jess tells Josh and Aaron that their contract cannot force her to have an abortion and asks them to honor their agreement as people. They acknowledge she could have the child, but she leaves without resolving what she wants.

Key Events

• Contract Dispute — Jess says the contract cannot force her to have an abortion and asks them to honor their agreement. Characters: Jess, Josh, Aaron Location: Not specified
• Unresolved Conversation — Josh and Aaron acknowledge Jess could have the child, but she remains uncertain and leaves. Characters: Jess, Josh, Aaron Location: Not specified

A Choice Without Closure

Jess asks a new acquaintance whether she could raise the child alone because Josh and Aaron do not want to. She considers spending more time with Leon, while the available dialogue ends without revealing her decision.

Key Events

• Considering Solo Parenting — Over dinner with a new acquaintance, Jess asks whether she could raise the child alone. Characters: Jess Location: Not specified
• Decision Still Open — Jess considers spending more time with Leon, while the available dialogue leaves her choice unresolved. Characters: Jess Location: Not specified

Story Breakdown

• Opening Conversations — Early dialogue introduces uncertainty about commitment and a pregnancy kept private.
  • Commitment Uncertainty — Nate's companion enjoys their time together but does not want him to wait.
  • Private Pregnancy News — Friends celebrate a pregnancy as the expectant mother tries to keep the news private.
• Surrogacy Arrangement — The central pregnancy is established as Jess carries a child for Josh and Aaron.
  • Jess Carries — The discussion centers on Jess carrying a child for Josh and Aaron.
  • Pregnancy Progresses — The adults confront the possibility that the baby has Down syndrome.
• Information and Risk — Jess urges an honest discussion of Down syndrome rather than a one-sided account.
  • Medical Information — Jess discusses information about Down syndrome.
  • Honest Perspective — She stresses considering medical risks alongside the lives of people with Down syndrome.
• Abortion Disagreement — Josh and Aaron want an abortion, while Jess agrees to an appointment but feels weighed down by the decision.
  • Intended Parents Decide — Josh and Aaron decide they want an abortion.
  • Appointment Agreed — Jess agrees to the appointment while struggling with the decision.
• Family and Autonomy — Jess's past experience and her mother's challenge intensify her effort to make an independent choice.
  • Past Abortion Revealed — Jess says she once had an abortion and believed it was right for her at that time.
  • Mother's Challenge — Her mother objects to rejecting the fetus because of Down syndrome and raises future-care concerns.
• Contract and Uncertainty — Jess disputes the idea that the contract can compel an abortion, but the conversation with Josh and Aaron does not settle her decision.
  • Agreement Invoked — Jess asks Josh and Aaron to honor their agreement as people, while saying she is not threatening to sue.
  • Conversation Unresolved — Josh and Aaron acknowledge she could have the child, and Jess leaves uncertain.
• Considering Life Alone — Jess explores whether she could raise the child without Josh and Aaron's support as parents.
  • Solo Parenting Question — Over dinner with a new acquaintance, Jess asks whether she could raise the child on her own.
  • Leon Considered — Jess considers spending more time with Leon, whom she might babysit.
• Open Ending — The available dialogue ends before Jess chooses what to do.
  • Choice Undisclosed — No final decision is revealed in the provided account.
  • Unresolved Future — Jess remains faced with the decision after considering her options.

Directed by

Jeremy Hersh

Key Cast

• Jasmine Batchelor — Jess
• Chris Perfetti — Josh
• Sullivan Jones — Aaron
• Brooke Bloom — Bridget
• Tonya Pinkins — Karen Weatherston-Harris