The Guest

Synopsis

Following the personal story of a Danish first-time surrogate mother, ‘The Guest’ explores issues of maternal bonding, modern families, relatedness, and desired control over body and mind. We follow the mature surrogate and her female partner through the pregnancy, and through intimate interviews we are given a rare insight into the taboo and secretive world of surrogacy in Scandinavia. In a society where surrogacy is a legal grey area surrounded by much stigmatization, the surrogate and her family deal with prevailing social norms and the possible condemnation by the outside world. The surrogate expresses motivational factors, ethical considerations and thoughts about motherhood, family concerns, gift giving, LGBT rights, and alternative assisted reproduction.