Savarna Sikand is a talented and headstrong scientist who works in an IVF lab with her best friend, Jackson. She’s in a committed and serious relationship with her girlfriend, Charlie, has a loving (albeit bossy at times) family, and a beautiful new niece. There’s just one, rather large (and ironic) problem: the Sikand family is counting on Savarna to carry on the family bloodline, completely unaware that she’s gay and not at all ready for parenthood.
The Last Conception is certainly a unique story, truly unlike anything I’ve ever seen or read before. The filmmakers must be commended for their originality and skill in creating such an interesting plot, with such a diverse and loveable cast of characters. Savarna, who had always believed her traditional Indian family to be Hindu, suddenly discovers that not only are her parents Buddhist, but also the direct descendants of Siddhartha Gotama, the founder of the Buddhist philosophy. It is the responsibility of her family, as such, to carry on this important bloodline. Savarna’s sister, Chitra, is barren, and a distant cousin who was also in the running to carry the “seed” onward, unfortunately experienced a car crash. With all of that, the magnifying glass is turned on Savarna, who has not yet “come out” to her family, and has trepidations about parenthood at this stage in her life.
News of Savarna’s sexuality sends the family reeling with mixed reactions, but it doesn’t take long for this loving and supportive family to rally around her — and put even more pressure on her and her relationship with Charlie to have a child. The Last Conception exemplifies family values, the struggle for autonomy as a woman (especially within one’s culture and religion) — both important ideas, treated beautifully through this medium. Obviously, we cannot dismiss the fact that the main character is in a same-sex relationship (which is displayed, albeit in a tasteful way, and affirmed throughout the film), nor can the inappropriate language be ignored; after all, we’re approaching this film from a biblical, faith-based worldview. But we must also not overlook that The Last Conception is a funny and charming film with loveable characters, fantastic acting and direction, rich with diversity and culture. I love seeing all kinds of families represented in film, and it’s hard not to fall in love with the Sikand family (I regularly found myself saying “I wish that were my dad!” while watching). I also enjoy learning about other cultures, their customs and religion(s).
However, due to all the reasons stated above, we cannot award the Dove Seal of Approval to The Last Conception. Even if your family is comfortable with/affirming of same-sex relationships, the subject matter, sexuality, and language still make the film inappropriate for young audiences, and there is simply not any faith content to counterbalance it.
Dove Take:
The Last Conception is funny, meaningful, and rich with diversity and culture; however, it contains no faith content to counterbalance homosexual relationships, strong language, sexuality, and other questionable content.
