Paternal Instinct

Software designer Mark and environmentalist Erik have been together for ten years and have decided that it is time to have children. They do not like the idea of adoption and put an ad on the Internet asking for a surrogate mother. They get a quick response from Wen, a married woman, mother of an adolescent son, and a practicing witch. Because Mark is wariest of the changes a child will bring about in their lives, the men decide that he will be the first to submit his sperm. After getting acquainted with the intended mother, a series of inseminations follows, and Wen becomes pregnant. The happiness is short-lived; Wen has a miscarriage and Mark and Erik are torn by doubt: perhaps this is a sign that they should forget about having children. But they persevere and eventually their patience is rewarded: a healthy daughter is born and the long-awaited fatherhood can finally commence. Paternal instinct closely follows the protagonists in this emotional process for two years, a period in which love and alienation, joy and grief constantly take turns for all people involved. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)