Our Father
I’m not hugely into watching disturbing documentaries per say, but occasionally one such tv show seems too wild to pass up. OUR FATHER documents a fertility doctor that dealt with sperm donations in the way he saw fit. Namely, rather than taking the time to collect sperm from other people like his clients wanted, he used his own sperm; he did so quite prolifically, a disturbing amount of times. It’s a fascinating story of someone completely abusing his power, and the show only gets more interesting as the dire details unfold.
The show has a mix of factual information, talking from the families affected, and some acting. The show is intriguing because of the subject matter, but the show tends to drag on as documentaries do. There was also a strange scene where they bothered filming an acting scene of the doctor driving over a young girl; it was bloody and unnecessary, even if true to history. OUR FATHER is the type of show to have persistently creepy sound effects and music in the background at all times, obviously attempting to reach the audience on an emotional level, but it does get a tad annoying later on.
I would have liked to see more detail, and less acting scenes. There is sufficient information, but too many repetitive acting scenes involving the father doctor; I did not particularly desire to see him impregnating his oblivious patients with a “sample”. Then again, that’s modern documentaries for you, they are especially engrossing – this one’s gross too. I will say the acting from the father doctor was fantastic, giving a spine-tingling performance straight out of a horror movie.
For better or worse, OUR FATHER puts you directly in the middle of the action. Despite my reservations, I was glued to the television at the twists and turns of the story. It was also an important story to tell, one that had ties to the church, and was disturbing on multiple levels. I’m enjoying this trend of exposing people, and organizations’ darkest secrets and corruption in documentaries. This was the most interesting documentary I’ve watched since Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed. If you can stomach this sort of thing, this might be your next show to watch.
