I wouldn’t really consider myself a documentary kind of guy, unless it’s a topic that I’m really interested in, like I was with The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker (Even though it turned out that I didn’t really like that one).
However, every now and then, a documentary just seems to speak to me. This was the case with the documentary, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, and it was also the case for The Man With 1000 Kids, which I found one night while I was scrolling through Netflix.
That said, I never would have imagined what I would see (or learn!) when I clicked on this three-episode documentary about sperm donors. And well, I just have to talk about it because man, it’s a doozy.
Some minor spoilers up ahead if you haven’t watched it yet.
It Taught Me About A Subject I Never Would Have Even Imagined
I have two lovely children, and I often talk about them on this very site, but for a time, my wife and I just couldn’t get pregnant. It didn’t get to the point where we were thinking about in vitro fertilization, but for a number of years, we tried and we tried, but to no avail.
And then, when we weren’t trying at all, we got pregnant–twice! – which I guess is sometimes how it goes. That said, I know a number of people who have attempted in vitro fertilization, including those within my own family, and I’ve seen the crossed-fingers attempts that, unfortunately, haven’t come into fruition. So, I 100% empathize with all of the parents who want children, but have struggled desperately to have them.
And so, I thought I knew pretty much everything there was to know about sperm donorship and clinics. I mean, what is there to really know? A man walks into a clinic, heads into the room, does his business in a little cup, and then hands it over to somebody so it can be put to good use. That’s pretty much it, right?
WRONG! In fact, this limited docuseries opened my eyes, as some men don’t even go to the clinic at all, but rather, just go to somebody’s house, and do their business in their bathroom. Yes, you heard that right. Apparently, there’s a whole industry of sperm donors who avoid all the red tape and just provide sperm to as many women as possible with the hopes of… well, it varies per person.
But, for this documentary’s main subject, Jonathan Jacob Meijer, it’s apparently to spread his seed as far as possible on a global scale.
And like, wow. At first, I didn’t really understand the issue, as so what if he had a lot of kids? That’s between himself and the mothers. But then, this documentary illustrated the issue: What if these kids, who were conceived relatively close to one another, grow up, and have a romantic relationship without even realizing that they’re related? So, yes, incest is a very real concern, and I would have had no idea if I hadn’t watched this riveting documentary.
The Documentary Is Funny When It Needs To Be, But Also Heartbreaking When It Needs To Be As Well
There is a very thin line between comedy and tragedy, and it’s often labeled as tragicomedy. A masterpiece like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which is definitely one of Jack Nicholson’s best movies, would be one such example, and so would Terms of Endearment. But, those are fictional stories, so the creators had the ability to toe the line between tears of joy, and tears of sadness.
However, I haven’t seen many documentaries that have so deftly navigated those two realms like I have with The Man With 1000 Kids.
Because this documentary can be really funny. The way the families talk about Jonathan Jacob Meijer with his long hair, his perfect teeth, and his can-do attitude, it’s almost like they hate him, but at the same time, they’re also like, this f’n guy… but in a playful sort of way.
But then, the story hits some low-lows, and you can see the parents seething, and crying over what Jonathan has inadvertently (Or possibly on purpose) done to hundreds of families. I was quite shocked at how this documentary was able to walk on both ends of the spectrum of comedy and seriousness.
It Truly Shocked Me On Numerous Occasions
I really love shocking moments when it comes to television. I’m talking about the kinds of scenes that stick with you long after the episode’s over, and possibly for years. Well, like I said before, there’s a difference between getting those kinds of moments from a fictional story, and from reality.
But, that’s what we get here with this startling documentary. It was shocking moment after shocking moment, with the two most jaw dropping scenes involving the idea that some donors might actually mix sperm, and then give it to parents, which is one of the most sickening things I’ve ever heard.
The other moment was when there were sperm donors who were going to Africa, with one white donor claiming that he wanted to “bleach” Kenya with his children. It honestly takes a lot to shock me, but that statement truly left my mouth on the floor.
The Pacing Is Phenomenal
I can’t stand binge culture (And I’m apparently not the only one). Now, there are a number of reasons why I don’t like it, but the main one is that it seems like a complete waste of time to me (I know, I know. Judgy much?). So many people tell me that they spent an entire weekend watching such-and-such show, and in the back of my mind, I’m always thinking, couldn’t you have done something else with your time?
However, once I started watching this three episode docuseries, I honestly couldn’t stop, so I guess I now understand how somebody can binge an entire show in just one sitting (Even though you probably shouldn’t), as I was up until 2 in the morning watching this documentary.
But, it’s just the pacing, as it’s exceptional. As I mentioned earlier, this (true!) story deftly blends humor and pathos, and it’s never boring. I could definitely envision this being a five or six episode series, but the people behind it played it smart by getting everything in there in only three episodes, making it perfectly bingeable in a single night… just don’t start as late as I did, because you’re going to feel it in the morning.
This Doc Also Somehow Manages To Humanize Everybody Involved
Lastly, and probably the most shocking thing about this documentary is that it manages to humanize almost everybody involved (I say “almost” since some of the other sperm donors mentioned really seem like terrible human beings).
However, all of the parents seem wronged, but also acknowledge that maybe they should have done a bit more research when acquiring a donor. And Jonathan Jacob Meijer, while often displayed as being selfish and a narcisist, also has a backstory where you can sort of understand why he wants to have so many kids.
This amazed me, since I know other documentaries would have likely made this man out to be a callous monster, but it shows Jonathan through his various YouTube videos, and you get a sense that – in his mind, anyway – he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong, and actually thought he was helping people. And, that is no small feat for a documentary to actually make the bad guy not seem so bad at all.
But, what did you think? Did you also get to catch this documentary? For more news on all things Netflix-related, be sure to swing by here often!
