'Daughters' Review: This Netflix Film Will Crack Your Heart Wide Open (2024)

This review was originally part of our coverage for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Father-daughter dances are a staple in many young girls’ lives — a special chance to connect with their dads one-on-one. Unfortunately, not every little girl is lucky enough to have the chance to attend one. Whether their fathers have passed away, are absent, or are incarcerated, it can be a painful experience to miss out. Angela Patton, who started the Date With Dad program and co-directs Daughters with Natalie Rae, is helping fewer girls miss out by hosting father-daughter dances in jail. It may seem small, but this event has the power to change the lives of both the girls and their fathers alike.

What Is 'Daughters' About?

Patton can’t take full credit for the idea, as one of the young girls she worked with actually came up with it. “They already know what they need,” Patton says confidently of the kids. The fact that the concept came from the mind of a child makes this event even more special. Many of the men fear that their daughters won’t want anything to do with them due to their actions, but Patton reiterates that this is evidence their children do want to be with them. They do want a connection despite their mistakes.

The Date With Date program is more than just a dance. Rather, it’s a 10-week program about fatherhood that culminates in the event at the end. Throughout those 10 weeks, the men learn how to be better parents and, perhaps even more crucially, get the chance to open up about their past and feelings in a safe and supportive environment — sometimes for the first time in their lives. The documentary is slightly thin in this area, as we don’t get to see as many deep conversations as one would hope, perhaps to respect the men’s privacy. Still, I found myself drawn to them and wanting to know more about their backgrounds and emotions.

As far as how successful this program is, the proof is in the pudding. Though many of the men initially sign up simply for an additional chance to get to see their kids, the vast majority claim they learn a lot from the classes and group discussions. A whopping 95% of dads in the program have never returned to jail in the more than a decade it’s been running.

'Daughters' Spotlights Four Children and Their Fathers

Daughters focuses on four main girls: 5-year-old Aubrey, 10-year-old Santana, 11-year-old Ja’Ana, and 15-year-old Raziah. Each has different emotions surrounding their fathers and, therefore, a range of reactions when they see them again at the dance. However, they do all have one thing in common, which is that they’ll make you bawl like a baby.

The film smartly introduces us to the youngest subject first. At five, Aubrey is extremely intelligent for her age — and isn’t afraid to let you know she’s well aware of that fact. Confident and bubbly, she has a passion for fish, rap, and math — the latter of the two especially helpful as she navigates her father being away. She and her dad, Keith, used to make music together, with Keith sharing that he knew one of his songs wasn’t good if Aubrey wouldn’t dance to it. Aubrey’s obsession with numbers — including trying to make sense of the time her father will be away — is devastating. “Seven’s a very close number to one,” she says hopefully when she hears her father will likely be imprisoned for seven years. “But it’s gonna take a long time because it’s years,” she adds, deflating a little. Aubrey is the embodiment of childhood innocence, but there’s an undercurrent of maturity, too, that’s been necessary for her to cope, like when she tries to help herself and Keith pull it together when it’s time for her to leave the dance. “Take three deep breaths and then say, ‘See you later,’” she orders. The love and amazement Keith has for his daughter is clear, stating that she is everything he ever wanted to be.

In one of the film’s several puzzling pacing choices (more on that later), the documentary fast-forwards several years toward the end of the film, showing us Aubrey once again. She’s become more jaded and distant, not having seen her father since the dance. It’s heartbreaking to see much of the light and optimism gone from her eyes, but who can blame her? Who can blame any of them for their hurt?

Santana’s abandonment issues manifest in frustration and rage, stating that the next time her father goes to jail, she’s “not shedding one single tear.” At 10, she’s already decided that she’s not having kids — understandable since she feels she’s been stuck being a co-parent to her younger siblings due to her dad not being around. Santana is bold and fearless, determined to speak her mind and hold her father, Mark, accountable for his choices affecting her and her family. She bluntly tells him that jail is no place to be almost immediately upon being reunited with him at the dance. But underneath her tough, protective exterior, it’s obvious that Santana is just a kid — one who loves to dance, one who gets embarrassed by corny jokes, and one who craves love and connection with her father. It’s impossible not to root for her and Mark to repair their relationship.

The same goes for Ja’Ana and Frank, who have had limited contact due to Ja’Ana’s mother’s distrust of Frank. Not only does she not want Ja’Ana to have to see him behind bars, but she also doesn’t understand why Frank is suddenly interested in bonding with her while he’s in jail — he didn’t seem to care about her when he was out, after all. It’s a sad reality but one we can empathize with. It’s an impossible situation to be in as a mother wanting to shield your child. This lack of connection going into the dance weighs on Ja’Ana, lending itself to some awkward moments, though there is a note of hope that, with work, trust can eventually be rebuilt.

The oldest subject, Raziah, is the quietest of the group, but her story is just as painful and inspiring. She struggles with school and suicidal thoughts — two things she works hard to overcome after the dance. Her father confides that he’s counting on her, which motivates her to graduate high school and make him proud.

'Daughters' Takes Risks — Some of Which Pay off in Spades

Daughters’ greatest strength is its ability to humanize a population that is often looked down upon, and it subtly reveals shocking facts. For example, the information it gives about the lack of “touch visits” and how key physical contact is becomes eye-opening. It’s also impossible not to notice the disproportionate amount of Black men who are locked up, making it clear race is a factor even without having onscreen conversations about it. It’s hard to imagine anyone coming away from this movie without being radicalized in some way about our need for prison reform.

The stylistic choices set the documentary apart, making it even more effective. There are few talking-head moments, favoring naturally captured footage, and the interviews we do get are in the moment and conducted in places like a car rather than a sterile studio set-up. It results in the documentary feeling more authentic and intimate.

The cinematography is simply stunning, with the credits accompanied by gorgeous black-and-white clips. Moments featuring the girls are reminiscent of The Florida Project at times, showing the world through a child’s eyes — ones filled with wonder and possibility even in bleak situations. The soft, nostalgic, and occasionally melancholic score pairs wonderfully with the visuals.

Unfortunately, the biggest detraction from the film is its structure and pacing. We start by counting down the 10-week program week-by-week but skip the second half of the program almost entirely, going from five weeks straight to the day of the dance. The dance itself is extremely moving — it’s the climax of the film, after all — but it’s finished with over half an hour to go. The instinct to update the audience about where the subjects are a year, two years, even three years after the big event is understandable. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work, as the documentary loses steam with its prolonged epilogue.

Despite not ending on its strongest note, Daughters is still a highly effective documentary overall. Working with subjects this young and topics this sensitive can be challenging, and you always run the risk of feeling exploitative, but Daughters handles both with compassion and care. Though its themes can be dark, Daughters is focused on showing the small cracks of light — of hope — in a sad situation, gently encouraging its audience to fight for change by showing how the prison-industrial complex oppresses more than just those in jail and how those behind bars have a whole, rich life outside of them. They’re human beings, and they deserve to be seen and treated as such — they deserve better than what our system gives them.

REVIEW

Daughters

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'Daughters' is a stunning documentary exploring fatherhood and the prison system

Pros

• The documentary has compelling subjects in its four father-daughter duos.
• The film handles a sensitive topic with compassion and care, spreading important awareness.
• The score and cinematography beautifully set the film apart from other documentaries.

Cons

• Odd pacing choices make the ending fall a bit flat.
• We don't get to dive into the men's stories as deeply as we might hope.

Daughters is now available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

WATCH ON NETFLIX