Our Father is a new documentary from director Lucie Jourdan and Blumhouse that gives Netflix subscribers a sickening true story that’s instantly engrossing and, frankly, could be one of Blumhouse’s scariest films.
Right from its opening, Our Father almost establishes itself as an original horror flick, which is fitting given the film’s horrifying story. After taking a DNA test, a woman named Jacoba not only discovers that she has a growing list of half-siblings, but that they were all conceived from their mother’s doctor artificially inseminating them with his sperm without them knowing. Believe it or not, there was a film from A24 and director John Lee called False Positive that had this same premise, but Our Father’s story is very real and Jourdan’s approach to delving into this true story isn’t always to its benefit.
While the film features many interviews and real-life accounts from Jacoba, other siblings, and their parents who were gravely affected by the actions of prolific fertility doctor, Donald Cline, it also features some dramatized reenactments of accounts and events. It’s a storytelling decision that probably made sense given Blumhouse’s involvement and there are certain stylistic choices that do give Our Father a cinematic feel. The transitions of the sibling number going up as it moves to different siblings finding out the truth will constantly leave you speechless as it gets higher, and the opening is like walking into a horror movie that establishes the perfect tone. However, the film blurs the line too much between reality and dramatization in how it brings Jacoba and other characters into these reenactments and overly relies on this type of storytelling. It was an understandable decision does set it apart from other documentaries, but not necessarily for the best reasons, since these moments muddy the truth and can take you out of the moment.
Thankfully, these poor storytelling choices never completely take away from the story’s impact. Where Jourdan succeeds best with Our Father is letting the human impact of this tragic story drive the emotion and horror. Accounts by Jacoba and other siblings of how this discovery has deeply impacted their lives and their relationships with their families are absolutely devastating. Some understandably start to question if the life they’ve been living has been a total lie and their parents become emotionally destroyed by the news —especially the mothers. There’s a moment where Jacoba talks about the pain she feels from having to “ruin someone else’s life” every time a new sibling pops up that cuts deep and there are some looming threats that are legitimately nightmarish to think of.
The idea that some of these people could’ve dated or married siblings and not known about it is absolutely chilling and what they find out about Cline’s DNA in terms of health issues passed down is horrible. When you hear their accounts and the realizations they had in those moments, it strikes a strong emotional chord that leaves you on the verge of tears and makes you more invested in looking deeper. It’s like a bad car crash you can’t look away from and these more personal accounts really make Our Father’s true story incredibly captivating and raw. Not to mention, they also rightfully paint Cline as the absolute culmination of evil and question how or why this ever happened.
Just based on hearing some of the recordings that Jakoba had of her conversations with Cline and his own actions, Cline is a disgusting figure that you’ll only grow to hate more as the film goes on. The sheer irresponsibility of what he’s done from a medical standpoint is baffling on its own, but the lack of morality or emotion behind his actions is absolutely sickening. The legal aspects around this case are equally shocking and it sadly fits right into the broken legal system in the U.S. surrounding women’s reproductive rights. Cline is a real-life horror movie villain, but his motivations and real intentions behind these actions never really come to light.
It’s understandable that without Cline’s account, which he’s never going to give, the truth behind this whole thing will never come out, but it would’ve been interesting to see the film do more detective work on Cline. Perhaps if there were more players willingly involved in investigating him–especially government officials–then more truth could be unveiled. Sadly, though, there isn’t and what the film provides isn’t always the best. Its addition of a possible cult link to Cline feels a little irresponsible without a more defined, less theoretical connection and it would’ve been smart to see his “fatherly” presence within his community delved into more since it plays a big role in him getting away with things.
There might be a few faulty aspects to Our Father’s storytelling, but it’s impact as a real-life horror story is fully maintained. It sticks with you in how undeniably chilling it is and gives viewers a deeply human story to connect to. Blumhouse has presented plenty of great modern horror films, but none are as deeply grotesque or genuinely horrifying as Our Father.
