top of page
Search
Writer's pictureJoëlle de Boer

Donor unknown


JoEllen, now 20, has always known that her family 'wasn't like other families'. She grew up in Lander, Pennsylvania in rural Warren County with two mothers, and a burning curiosity to know more about her anonymous donor father.

When JoEllen discovers a unique online registry that connects donor children, she manages to track down a half-sister in New York. The New York Times picks up the story, and over time, 12 more half-siblings emerge in the United States. The article also falls into the hands of Jeffrey Harrison, except that he lives with four dogs and a pigeon in a broken RV in a Venice Beach parking lot. In the 1980s, Jeremy supplemented his meager income by becoming a sperm donor at California Cryobank. His number was Donor 150. Donor Unknown is a unique 21st century story. The connections made between the children and their donor father draw so much on modern technology to old-fashioned coincidence. While the siblings seem to take their ever-growing family into their stride, Jeffrey is more concerned about meeting some of his biological children for the first time.

Funny, moving and surprising Donor Unknown raises intriguing questions about our understanding of parenthood, and the strange ability of the genetic imperative.


Donor unknown trailer:


Comments


bottom of page