Netflix’s ‘Our Father’ Review

Are you seeking for a Netflix documentary that won't test you, won't raise your blood pressure, and won't make you angry at the end? Well, that isn't Our Father on Netflix then. Released on 11th May, 2022 this documentary is directed by Lucy Jordan and based on a true story of a woman whose at-home DNA test reveals she has multiple half-siblings and discovers a shocking scheme that a fertility doctor in Indianapolis was using his own sperm to impregnate women without their knowledge. 

‘Our Father’ on Netflix 

It’s not just that the true story is incredibly compelling and also very unsettling but it’s the entire production of this documentary. The Blumhouse production has done an amazing job at recreating some of the very true stories and recounting different events that would help break up the documentary and not make it feel very monotonous. All of the recreated scenes are just very well shot and very well acted by all of the actors that were within those scenes, and they did use some real audio. 

So in and out of these stories that these interviewees or the victims are telling it will really grab your attention, and the score itself was also building atmosphere from the very beginning. It will literally make you shake in your seats at some points. Not lying, it felt like a horror movie sometimes, and yes the events are horrific. They do begin with the sibling number one Jacoba, who becomes a central figure here and she is so brave and so are all the victims that came forward to tell their story, but I cannot believe exactly what happened here with this fertility doctor, Dr. Donald Cline, a criminal, and a gross individual, and it’s hard when you are watching a documentary about this sort of subject matter to stay unbiased, but the man is disgusting.

I also liked how well paced this documentary was. It was filmed very much like a movie so it had some pretty consistent story beats and the way they are flowing in and out of the different narratives it made sense, and there was also a lot of room for these jaw-dropping and awe-inspired moments and I don’t mean that positively of course. Once the sibling count continues to go up and up it just made me say oh my gosh out loud and I mean it genuinely. It’s just one of those documentaries that will make you feel like you’re beside yourself with everything that you’re seeing, and of course after a while you’re able to understand exactly where this documentary is going, but the way that this is directed it just saves some of those surprises at the very end so you think you know that the documentary is about to wrap up but boom! 

Another surprising moment happens and the way that this documentary actually frames the stories makes a lot of sense because what they are doing from start to finish is making you feel how vile Dr. Cline is and it’s very effective. This is something that you're gonna want to talk to someone about. So yes this documentary is incredibly compelling but also will spark conversation, even if you know about the true story.

Overall Netflix’s Our Father I think is a hit for all those who love documentaries. It has a lot of those elements here at play, and those who love movies and storytelling from cinema it has that too with all of the scenes that are recreated in between the real true stories that are being told by these victims. So this is a very very well put together documentary.

Review by: Maham Mukarram