YNOT at the Movies

"Dad Genes" (USA 2025 | 65 min. | Documentary) is one of those stories that feels almost implausible until you remember the quiet reach of modern technology. What begins as a footnote from the mid-1990s, Aaron Long's casual stint as a sperm donor, snowballs decades later into a redefinition of family built from DNA tests, curiosity, and a willingness to say yes. It is an incredible story to tell, not because it courts scandal, but because it uncovers an unexpected, even gentle, way human connections can form in the 21st century, where biology, chance, and choice intersect in ways that would have been unthinkable not long ago.

The film traces Aaron's journey from a happily unmarried Seattle bachelor to the unlikely center of a newly formed family after he registers with a DNA ancestry site and discovers he has multiple biological children, with the possibility of dozens more. He invites several of them to a "Meet My Kids" gathering, a gesture that soon escalates into shared living arrangements involving two of his children, the mother of one of them, and Aaron's own aging mother.

As these genetically related strangers attempt to build a family from scratch, a romantic relationship develops between Aaron and Jess, the mother of one of his biological children. Media attention follows after Aaron's story reaches The New York Times, bringing both visibility and complications as the boundaries of privacy begin to erode.

Much of the film's success lies in its terrific editing, which keeps the story engaging, intriguing, and refreshingly concise despite the density of interviews. Aaron appears frequently on screen and speaks openly, yet he remains somewhat elusive. At times he seems to be performing for the camera, as if aware of the narrative gravity surrounding him, while deeper motivations or doubts stay carefully contained. The film lets this ambiguity exist without pressing too hard, which is both a strength and a limitation.

Given the extraordinary premise, one might expect sharper conflicts or tensions to emerge, moments that demand resolution or force uncomfortable reckonings. Instead, the film unfolds in an atmosphere of remarkable goodwill. Everyone is kind, agreeable, and easy to like, which lends the film warmth but also flattens its dramatic contours.

Aaron's personal evolution is genuinely jaw-dropping, a man single well into middle age who suddenly opens himself to intimacy, cohabitation, and romance. Yet the film stops short of examining why this shift happens now, or how fully it can be taken at face value. That unanswered question lingers as a shadow over the story, but it does not eclipse the film's achievement. Even with this reservation, the documentary remains a thoughtfully crafted work that expands our understanding of what family can look like today.

"Dad Genes" plays at the Dances with Films Festival on Friday, Janurary 16, 2026 in New York City.