‘Daughters’ Movie Review: A Sincere Tear-Jerker About The Sacred Connection Between Fathers And Daughters
Photo from Netflix
From Jeff Nelson
The prison system is full of tragic stories, where some of the most sensationalized ones find their way to the silver screen in documentaries or narrative features. Angela Patton and Natalie Rae’s Daughters takes a different look at the justice system, exploring how it fails the innocent families behind the incarcerated. It’s poignant, powerful, and emotionally stirring.
Patton and Rae follow four young girls who have fathers in the prison system. They enlist in a unique fatherhood program in Washington, D.C., which prepares the girls and their dads for a special Daddy-Daughter Dance for the chance of a meaningful reunion that will make a difference in their lives.
Since 2014, many US prisons abandoned touch visits, reducing family reunions to video calls that require payment. It’s a cruel, predatory policy that does more than punish an inmate, holding children from maintaining a meaningful relationship with a parent. Daughters follows four girls and their fathers – Raziah & Alonzo, Ja’Ana & Frank, Santana & Mark, and Aubrey & Keith. The ages of the girls play a huge role in their initial feelings toward their fathers. Some are excited, while others are hesitant to meet a parent who has let them down or one whom they barely know. The fathers wrestle with their own nerves during their mandatory 10-week coaching program with a life coach named Chad that gives insight to both sides of the process.
Daughters could easily grow exploitative, but it steers clear of diving into the crimes that landed these men in prison. By not exploring their criminal records, Patton and Rae don’t allow the audience to pass judgment on these men. Rather, they keep a tight focus on the importance of these father-daughter relationships. Every participating dad yearns to be there for their family, as the time spent behind bars numbed them to the impact their imprisonment had on their children. The Daddy-Daughter Dance highlights the importance of physical contact and forces them to confront their daughters’ hurt.
The reunion between fathers and daughters is undeniably touching. The Daddy-Daughter Dance and its inevitable conclusion offer the film’s most heart-rending moments. Patton and Rae don’t insert their presence, allowing these girls and their parents to share sincere conversations, steering clear of talking heads. The movie advocates for the Daddy-Daughter Dance program, while sharing complex stories that are all-too-often left untold.
After the dance, Patton and Rae’s documentary scuffles with how to bookend this years-long emotional journey. We develop a connection with these girls and their fathers, and their stories deserve more than title cards stating remaining prison sentences and the program’s effectiveness for the men who completed their prisontime.
Daughters is one serious emotional wallop of a documentary that will open your heart to the tragic pain felt by innocent children who suffer greatly at the hands of the justice system’s failures. Patton and Rae’s exploration of this Daddy-Daughter Dance yearns for more time with these four girls, particularly in the disappointing ending that glazes over their lives in the wake of this life-changing event. Even so, this is powerful storytelling that tugs on the heartstrings in the most earnest way possible.
Rating: 4/5
Daughters streams on Netflix starting on August 14th, 2024.
