Jessica (Natalie Polisson) and Dylan Graff (Jason Tobias) are desperate to have a child. After countless heartbreaks, they decide to take the plunge and seek out in vitro fertilization treatment. That’s how they meet Dr. Preston Bellamy (Daniel O’Reilly), a brilliant doctor and fertility expert who helps them conceive their son, Henry (Viron Sage Weaver). But Bellamy’s worsening health and his obsession with his own legacy leads him down a dark path — one that has life-changing consequences for his unwitting patients. My Child Has My Doctor’s Face, directed by Joshua Butler (Red Rooms), also stars Kelsey Corbin (Entitled), Jax Binkert (Wuthering Heights), and Michael Calley (Wild West Chronicles). Read on to learn more before streaming it on Netflix.
When Jessica takes her son Henry — who was conceived via IVF years ago with the help of the highly respected Dr. Bellamy — to an annual checkup, she meets another mother, Sarah, whose son bears a striking resemblance to her own … and to their doctor. After Henry’s bloodwork comes back, Jessica also notices that her son’s blood type is incongruous with hers and her husband’s — he shouldn’t be able to have Type O, and yet he does. When Jessica approaches Dr. Bellamy about the unlikelihood of Henry’s blood type, he deflects, claiming Jessica doubts his professional integrity. Shaken, Jessica’s later approached by Sarah, who thinks she has proof that her husband’s DNA wasn’t used during her own IVF treatment. Meanwhile, Dr. Bellamy — who’s obsessively concerned with what he’s leaving behind and the superiority of his genetics — is contending with an inoperable aneurysm that’s left him with only a few months to live. If they want to put their greatest fears to rest, Jessica and Sarah will have to team up to discover the truth behind their doctor’s medical (mal)practice.
No, the film isn’t based on any one particular case, but it shares similarities with real-life stories of fertility fraud. One such instance is that of Donald Cline, a renowned fertility expert in Indiana who inseminated dozens of women with his own sperm without their consent or knowledge. You can learn more about Cline’s story in the documentary Our Father, also streaming on Netflix.
