My Thoughts On "Branching Out"

 

Last night, Hallmark Channel premiered the final movie in its 2024 "Spring Into Love" lineup, "Branching Out". The movie revolves around a single mother, Amelia (Sarah Drew) who attempts to track down her daughter Ruby's (Cora Bella) biological father T.J. (Juan Pablo Di Pace) after she begins inquiring about him. Ruby was conceived via IVF, or in vitro fertilization, so her mother is the only family she has ever really known. While I thought that Hallmark Channel did a good job of addressing the topic of IVF, I do have some questions about the movie that I would like to address below.

1. Is Ruby old enough to understand what IVF is?

The first time we actually see Ruby mention IVF is when she asks her teacher Miss Weaver (Nikki SooHoo) if she knows what it is. Now Ruby is shown to be exceptionally intelligent for someone her age (9), and her mother might have told her about it early on in her life, but I still wonder whether a nine year old child would fully comprehend something like that. 

2. Do any of Ruby's classmates know she was conceived via IVF?

Presumably, Ruby's teacher knows that she was conceived via IVF but there's no indication that any of her classmates do. If they are aware of it, it's never brought up as none of her classmates treat her any differently for it.

3. Ruby's Conversation With Her Teacher

When Ruby asks her teacher if she knows what IVF is, she simply replies "I do". This could imply that either Miss Weaver had a child of her own via IVF or was conceived through IVF herself; however,  this is never elaborated on any further.

4. Religious Concerns

While I personally have no issues with IVF (Two of my cousins were conceived via IVF), I did notice something interesting about last night's movie. Throughout the movie, we see T.J. wearing a necklace with a cross on it. When you combine that with his family's Latin American heritage, it is likely, although not definite, that T.J.'s family is supposed to be Catholic. If you are either a member of the Catholic Church or know enough about it, then you would probably know that the Catholic Church opposes in vitro fertilization as they believe that it cannot be used as a replacement for natural reproduction. Now, again, I could very well be wrong about T.J.'s family being Catholic (and if they are, they never show any concerns about T.J. being a donor and easily accept Ruby as part of their own family), but the implication is still there.

5. Can Amelia and T.J.'s relationship really work?

During the movie's climax, T.J. is offered a gig as the lead guitarist for Trey Stasio (Gabe Baker), but this would mean being on the road and away from Amelia and Ruby for at least six months. T.J. is able to convince Trey to let him come home from touring every two weeks, as he and Amelia agree to give a long distance relationship a chance. Now, most Hallmark movies end with the two leads in the same place, so it is somewhat surprising that this movie should end with the leads agreeing to try a long distance relationship. My biggest concern with this is how it will affect Ruby. She had just spent the entire movie developing a bond with the only father she has ever known and now she will only be seeing him every two weeks. Is that really a strong foundation for a good, long-term relationship?

Anyway, those are just some questions and concerns I have about this movie. What did you all think about it? Let me know in the comments below.