False Positive movie storyline. After difficult struggles with fertility, loving couple Lucy (Ilana Glazer) and Adrian (Justin Theroux) seem to have finally found their potential savior in the charming and world-renowned reproductive specialist Dr. Hindle (Pierce Brosnan). But as their dreams begin to come true and hope transforms to happiness, cracks start to appear in the façade of normalcy, sending the now-expectant mother into a spiral of suspicion that threatens her grasp on reality.
A clever and chilling look at gender roles and the notion of unconditional trust, False Positive delivers an unexpectedly twisted tale of modern family troubles. Boasting a solid ensemble cast, including a memorable turn from Gretchen Mol as Hindle’s loyal nurse, director John Lee has truly found a kindred spirit in leading lady and co-writer Glazer. Longtime collaborators on the acclaimed Broad City, the two have shifted gears entirely here, abandoning the jokes but maintaining the edge for this genre-bending thriller about the perils of parenthood. —Loren Hammonds
False Positive is a 2021 American psychological horror film directed by John Lee from a screenplay he co-write with Ilana Glazer. The film stars Glazer, Justin Theroux, and Pierce Brosnan. False Positive had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 18, 2021 and was released in the United States by A24 Films on June 25, 2021.
About the Story
Copywriter Lucy Martin lives with her husband Adrian in Manhattan. The couple have been trying to conceive for two years and decide to seek out Dr. John Hindle, Adrian’s former teacher and a leading fertility doctor. Lucy becomes pregnant after Dr. Hindle inseminates her, using a technique he invented.
During an ultrasound she discovers she is pregnant with triplets: male twins and a female. Hindle suggests a selective reduction; either the twins or the daughter should be terminated to ensure a healthy pregnancy and birth. Adrian and Lucy decide to keep the girl. Lucy joins a group of expecting mothers, where she befriends Corgan, who got pregnant using IVF. Online, Lucy discovers Grace Singleton, a spiritual midwife with a natural approach and develops a fascination with her.
During the reduction, Lucy passes out and hears Adrian and Hindle talk. Later, she bleeds excessively from her uterus, which Hindle dismisses as a common instance. Adrian presents Hindle with an award and Lucy grows wary of him. Lucy finds a safe in Adrian’s office and shares with Corgan her growing suspicions that Hindle did something to her unborn daughter and Adrian is aware. After Lucy has further complications, Hindle blames this on antenatal depression and prescribes her medication, which she takes.
After having a dream where she sees Hindle and Adrian having sex, Lucy opens Adrian’s safe and finds a file on her, including evidence that she is being monitored. Corgan takes the file to show her lawyer husband and suggests that Lucy behave normally until she knows more. Lucy confronts Adrian, admitting she doesn’t feel safe with Hindle. Lucy experiences further strange dreams and visions including nearly drowning in a bath full of bloody water.
During her baby shower, Lucy realizes that Corgan knows her real name, despite never having shared it. Corgan gifts her a copy of a first edition of J. M. Barrie’s book Peter Pan and Wendy and Lucy seems to see Peter Pan’s shadow morph into a weird expanding bloodstain on the book cover. Lucy confronts her and Corgan admits that she now consults Hindle too and that she gave the file to Adrian due to her worry about Lucy’s mental state.
She tells Lucy that Adrian denies he has a safe in his office. Lucy experiences contractions and goes to Grace to give birth, discovering she is giving birth to the male twins instead of the female baby. Before she can birth the second twin, Grace urges them to a hospital after strong bleeding but Adrian takes her to Hindle, who delivers the second baby. Disillusioned and depressed, Lucy talks to Grace but realizes that the image of her as an African-American midwife ‘goddess’ was unrealistic and elaborated. Grace tells Lucy that she must solve her own problem.
False Positive (2021)
Directed by: John Lee
Starring: Ilana Glazer, Justin Theroux, Gretchen Mol, Sophia Bush, Zainab Jah, Pierce Brosnan, Josh Hamilton, Nils Lawton, Sullivan Jones, Danielle Slavick, Lucy Walters, Jaygee Macapugay
Screenplay by: John Lee, Ilana Glazer
Production Design by: Jason Singleton
Cinematography by: Pawel Pogorzelski
Film Editing by: Jon Philpot
Costume Design by: Valerie Klarich
Set Decoration by: Elise H. Clark-Johnson, Paige Mitchell
Art Direction by: Kaili Corcoran, Natalia Danilova
Music by: Yair Elazar Glotman, Lucy Railton
MPAA Rating: R for disturbing/bloody images, sexual content, graphic nudity and language.
Distributed by: A24 Films (United States)
Release Date: June 25, 2021
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