Ami (Simren Lalani) and Vic (Kareem Ghuneim) have the perfect marriage. They are passionate about themselves, their jobs, and traveling–and they’ve found themselves at a place in their lives where they feel that they have just about everything that they could want. However, the one thing missing is a baby. As Ami and Vic struggle with Conception, their marriage begins to struggle, their lives fall apart, and the euphoria that once existed for them will hang in the balance. Their lives are becoming increasingly more difficult as Ami tries In vitro fertilization–and the toll that this process takes on them may be insurmountable.
Conception is one of the most poorly acted films that I’ve ever seen–and everything, with the exception of the opening scene, fails to convey emotion or anything else effectively to viewers. Neither Lalani nor Ghuneim possess the ability to bring emotion to the surface, to convince viewers of anything that is occurring on screen, or to provide us with any sort of reason to become invested in the film. However, that’s not true of Conception’s opening scene–and that makes all of this significantly more frustrating. In the opening scene, one that appears to depict the young couple’s first date, the two feed off of one another beautifully, conveying honest sentiment and entertaining viewers. They show the world that they have what it takes to entertain–but sadly that same vigor doesn’t exist throughout the rest of Conception.
That opening scene is long–very long. It’s somewhat awkward, but it perfectly represents the struggles of meeting someone for the first time. Again, Lalani and Ghuneim are wonderful in this scene–and with its length, Writer-Director Tarun Verma invites viewers into his romantic drama early on. That scene is wonderfully written and nearly perfectly executed–but as soon as it ends, just about everything falls apart, never able to figure itself out or appeal to viewers.
Conception verges on laughable throughout, and it becomes apparent, not long after the film’s open, that it would fail to amuse as this cast and crew surely hoped it would. It is clear, however, that Verma intended his film to be educational, discussing the intricacies and difficulties of trying to get pregnant. The world knows that it can be challenging to start a family (moreso for some than others), but we don’t always get a first-hand look at what that can do to a couple. Conception, had it been led by more effective acting, would have conveyed the necessary sentiments–because Verma writes the film simply enough that it should be accessible to all.
I wanted to like this film (and let’s be honest, I want to like every film), but nothing about it–other than the opening scene–was capable of entertaining, truly educating as planned, or sparking emotion. I couldn't find much about Conception to appreciate, and I struggled even to remain focused throughout. Lalani and Ghuneim just don’t reach viewers as intended, and Verma’s film struggles so much due, in part, to their inability to convey emotion. I needed Conception to be stressfully emotional, I needed to feel what the characters would have been feeling throughout–and I never go that. I applaud Verma for trying to express the realities of trying to start a family to the world, but his approach just doesn’t work.
Written & Directed by Tarun Verma.
Starring Simren Lalani, Kareem Ghuneim, Anjel GoldMine, Joe Grisaffi, Jessica Law-David, Gabriel Regojo, etc.
⭐⭐⭐/10
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