Spermworld (2024)

Editor, Writer, Co-Producer - Documentary Feature - FX / New York Times / Edgeline

Lance Oppenheim’s arresting sophomore feature documentary ventures into “Spermworld,” where sperm donors and hopeful parents connect through unregulated online forums in lieu of traditional sperm clinics. The film entwines the stories of three donors and their recipients as they exchange more than just genetic material. In roadside motels, abandoned shopping malls, and suburban bathrooms, these fleeting transactions between strangers give way to tender and vulnerable moments—and the possibility of new life. A neglectful fiancé becomes a father to an unexpected child, a recently divorced older man finds companionship in a young recipient, and a disappointing son seeks validation from his own children—all 130-something of them. With a sober but humanist gaze and wry sense of humor, Spermworld probes deep-seated fantasies about parenthood, the redemptive power of altruism, and the unending quest for human connection.