Our Father

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1:51

Our Father

2022

1h 37m

Crime

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Jacoba Ballard was an only child, conceived via donor sperm, who always dreamed of having a brother or sister. An at-home DNA test led her to the discovery of not one but seven half-siblings -- a number that defied best practices in fertility medicine. As the group set out to learn more about their curious family tree, they soon discovered the sickening truth: Their parents' fertility doctor had been inseminating his patients with his own sperm -- without their knowledge or consent. As Ballard and her newfound siblings realized they've barely begun to untangle his dark web of deceit, their pursuit of justice lies at the heart of this profoundly unsettling story about an unimaginable breach of trust. At this time, Dr. Cline is one of the most prolific cases with 94 children and counting. Their fight to find justice leads to an unfortunate realization that there's very little protection or laws in place against fertility fraud. Dr. Cline is unfortunately one of many fertility doctors across the globe who has used his own sperm to inseminate women without their knowledge or consent. This revelation is also becoming more common with the recent rise in popularity of DNA testing. Laws have been passed in Texas and Indiana that make it illegal for a doctor to use his own sperm in insemination. Kentucky just passed a fertility fraud bill last week. However, it is not a federal law. Now there are 44 doctors known to have done this, and because of DNA testing, the time of these doctors getting away with this is hopefully coming to end. This is a story about someone who has done something horrible, but has no accountability. This is also a story of consent, of women not being given an option.

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Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

05/14/2022

3/4

Director Lucie Jourdan paints a vividly disturbing picture of Cline, using his own words and actions against him, but wisely and compassionately makes “Our Father” as much about the victims...

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John Anderson

Wall Street Journal

05/12/2022

A horror story presented as too much of a horror movie.

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Nina Metz

Chicago Tribune

05/12/2022

2/4

“Isn’t this terrible?” the documentary asks, while never digging much deeper.

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Archi Sengupta

LeisureByte.com

08/19/2024

4/5

Our Father is a sad, terrifying and cautionary tale about people and how abhorrent they can be.

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Nuha Hassan

Nuha Hassan (Medium)

09/04/2023

The documentary does a great job at showing how much the half-siblings fought to get their voice heard and emphasising the evil nature of his actions.

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M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

01/02/2023

4/5

Equally enthralling, sickening, and astonishing, Our Father was made to no longer silence Dr. Cline’s victims.

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Lisa M

Aug 15

I don’t understand why this story has only received 80% rotten tomatoes. It is a critically important story for every family to watch. These families are incredibly brave to tell their stories. This also happened not far from where I live in Georgia. Huge blessings to these families as they navigate their new normal. Jacoba, you are awesome and so is the reporter! (I apologize for not remembering her name).

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Ngan P

Aug 8

This man is sick. Donald Cline is in The Quiverfull movement church primarily focuses on the marital relationship between one man and one woman and the blessing of children within that union. and there is no biblical or theological basis for a man to have children with multiple women!!! There's no biblical or theological basis within mainstream Christianity, or the Quiverfull movement itself, to justify a man having children with multiple women outside of marriage, and certainly not through deception or without consent.

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Marcus E

@a22matic 02/01/2024

Insane man, and unbelievable what happened. His 'donor' daughter is so courageous.

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Lexus H

@yosoykurly 03/11/2023

THIS DOCUMENTARY WAS ABSOLUTELY CRAZY. WHAT THIS MAN DID WAS DISGUSTING. I'm GLAD THIS DOCUMENTARY WAS MADE, BECAUSE IT OPENS OUR MINDS AND SPREADS AWARENESS ABOUT THINGS LIKE THIS THAT HAPPEN. THIS DEFINITELY IS POSSIBLY STILL HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD. AND It's SICKENING. THIS IS A MUST-WATCH DOCUMENTARY. DEFINITELY, ADD IT TO YOUR LIST OF THINGS TO WATCH.

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alex v

@sugarcookie 12/10/2022

Depressing. Quick way to feel sad in 1hr37m.

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07/21/2022

Increíble el relato de cada hermano.

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Lucie Jourdan

Director

Jacoba Ballard

Self

Jason Blum

Producer

Lucie Jourdan

Producer

Michael Petrella

Producer

Amanda Spain

Producer

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Our Father: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Jacoba Ballard was an only child, conceived via donor sperm, who always dreamed of having a brother or sister. An at-home DNA test led her to the discovery of not one but seven half-siblings -- a number that defied best practices in fertility medicine. As the group set out to learn more about their curious family tree, they soon discovered the sickening truth: Their parents' fertility doctor had been inseminating his patients with his own sperm -- without their knowledge or consent. As Ballard and her newfound siblings realized they've barely begun to untangle his dark web of deceit, their pursuit of justice lies at the heart of this profoundly unsettling story about an unimaginable breach of trust. At this time, Dr. Cline is one of the most prolific cases with 94 children and counting. Their fight to find justice leads to an unfortunate realization that there's very little protection or laws in place against fertility fraud. Dr. Cline is unfortunately one of many fertility doctors across the globe who has used his own sperm to inseminate women without their knowledge or consent. This revelation is also becoming more common with the recent rise in popularity of DNA testing. Laws have been passed in Texas and Indiana that make it illegal for a doctor to use his own sperm in insemination. Kentucky just passed a fertility fraud bill last week. However, it is not a federal law. Now there are 44 doctors known to have done this, and because of DNA testing, the time of these doctors getting away with this is hopefully coming to end. This is a story about someone who has done something horrible, but has no accountability. This is also a story of consent, of women not being given an option.

Director: Lucie Jourdan
Producer: Jason Blum, Lucie Jourdan, Michael Petrella, Amanda Spain
Genre: Crime, Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 11, 2022
Runtime: 1h 37m

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