HALLMARK fans have been left divided by a new movie with a controversial plot involving a single mother who conceives via IVF.
The new movie called Branching Out features Sarah Drew as a single mom who investigates the paternal family of her 10-year-old daughter whom she had with an anonymous sperm donor.
Fans have already fallen in love with the Hallmark movie that was released on April 27.
“I just finished watching BRANCHING OUT. I need a sequel,” one wrote on Facebook.
Others praised the movie makers for exploring the “new realm” of IVF “with sensitivity and understanding.”
“One of the things I love about Hallmark movies they’re very relevant,” one viewer said.
“My daughter right now is going through IVF with her husband but there’s going to be so many more kids that are going to go through this process…. And some of their stories may be just like Ruby…. And I am so happy that Hallmark can make a movie that is so relevant.”
Proving this point, another viewer said that they are “loving this movie” after finding their biological father four years ago.
In the movie written by Joie Botkin, Amelia (played by Drew) finds the father of her daughter Ruby.
TJ Cruz, played by Juan Pablo Di Pace, is a local musician who wants to meet his daughter after being contacted by Amelia and the pair end up falling in love.
However, not everyone is pleased about the storyline with some vowing to boycott the new film.
On Reddit, one Hallmark fan said that the plot “just sets me off.”
“A sperm donor is gonna know he has genetic children out there and there is a reason some choose to be anonymous,” they said.
“They don’t want a mom to come searching to fall in love.
“I get the movies are just silly plots but this one just annoyed me.”
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Meanwhile, others are questioning what making a film like this could mean for the media company’s future.
“Hallmark would have never done a movie like this four years ago,” said one Redditor.
“This mission Hallmark is on for everyone to be seen is a bit much,” wrote another.
But this isn’t the channel’s first attempt at exploring complex familial relationships.
In the 2021 film, My Christmas Family Tree, a young woman tracks her biological father through an ancestry service that provides DNA testing.
Hallmark continues to explore the topic in its 2023 movie, A Season for Family.
The film tackles the story of separated brothers and what it looks like when adopted children are led to believe they were born from their parents biologically.
Some viewers believe the push to capitalize on alternative fertility options is based on current societal interests, while others suspect Hallmark is “just throwing s**t at the wall and seeing what sticks.”
But Branching Out is more than a movie about IVF, according to Drew who told Southern Living the film intends to capture the emotional complexity of motherhood.
“I want people to feel like it really is a love letter to motherhood and single moms and families that come in all shapes and sizes.”