Future People: The Family of Donor 5114 movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE: Future People: The Family of Donor 5114

Available on the Discovery+ channel on April 10th on National Siblings Day!

RATING: PG for talk about sperm and conception

LENGTH: 98 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

Aquaman Jason Momoa worked as the Executive Producer of this is a fascinating documentary that began filming over 8 years ago. Director Michael Rothman follows a group of teens who discover that they were conceived from the same sperm donor, forming an unlikely family of familiar strangers.

There are currently 37 known half-siblings from this one sperm donor! FUTURE PEOPLE explores the complexities of alternative conception while defining a new realm of the modern family. Isn’t technology amazing?

Our ancestry is such an integral part of our lives. Alex Haley, the author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family, is a book that became a worldwide phenomenon and TV mini-series in the 1970s. He explains that “In all of us, there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage – to know who we are and where we have come from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness.”

When my twin sister became interested in genealogy, the hobby was contagious and we ended up writing a book together to help others discover their own family history. You can purchase it on Amazon at:
<br />

THINGS I LIKED:

It’s really amazing to watch the kids grow up right before our eyes in the documentary. I love that the film spans 8 years so you can really watch their development throughout the journey.
The kids gather together for big vacations every year where they find an instant connection with each other. On one trip, they even travel to the sperm bank where their “father” visited so many years prior.
I have lesbian friends who have children only because they were able to use a sperm donor.
It’s interesting to learn a little bit about the donor process and how the identities of everyone involved are carefully protected. At the age of 18, an offspring is able to reach out to the donor to see if he is interested in opening the door to communication.
There is some talk about how the young donor in his 20s might not have fully appreciated what he was doing. I’m sure that’s true for many donors. It’s easy money when they need it and they don’t deeply consider all of the consequences for the future.
Because all of the kids clearly share certain physical features, it’s fascinating to envision what the donor looks like during the majority of the movie. I was surprised how excited I felt when the donor actually appeared on the screen. To protect his privacy, we don’t get to learn his name. It was great to hear his voice and touching thoughts.
It was heartbreaking to watch how some of the kids pulled away from their own families and even mothers as they became more connected to their half-siblings. A few of the moms were interviewed and talked about how they almost regretted nurturing the half-siblings’ relationships because it was causing a toll on their own nuclear family at times.
It was amazing to see that some of the mothers had more than one child from the same donor. We also got to see a couple use the very last vial from that same donor many years later.
I’m an identical twin, so I’ve always been fascinated by genetics. While none of these kids are twins, but you can definitely see the genetic resemblance among all of them!
I love the clever movie poster!

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Because teens are interviewed, you hear the word “like” a zillion times. ha ha
Not once did any of the children ever consider their mothers’ feelings and challenges during this journey. Not surprising, the kids were very focused on themselves and their own emotional experiences.
I would love to have heard more of the parents share their personal experiences during the journey. The documentary does include some and I understand that not all of the parents may have wanted to be filmed or even be the focus of the film since it’s really about their child’s unique birth and life experience.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Talk of sperm
Lesbians show affection
Single parents
You see a woman give birth with some views of blood and bare chest
No profanity

THEMES:

The definition of family
Connection
Relationships
Self-discovery
Finding a good support system in life

INTERESTING LINES:

“Your family is more than who is right there with you all the time.” – Neylan Griffy
“You can come into this world mad about how you were conceived, but you also have to realize that you function completely independently from any of those other factors and that you are your own person and that it does not matter, at the end of the day. It’s still you and it’s okay.” – Alexis Clay