Stock up on Kleenex, because Daughters is coming your way. Netflix just released the first trailer for the deeply moving documentary by Natalie Rae and Angela Patton, which provides an intimate glimpse at the Date with Dad program. The initiative spearheaded by Patton brings families together by giving incarcerated men a chance to dance with their daughters. The Daddy Daughter Dance offers a rare moment for physical touch between family members who may spend years apart, communicating only through video screens, if at all. Daughters won the Audience Award for American Documentary upon its premiere at Sundance earlier this year and also scored the honour of overall “Festival Favourite” for its nuanced look at the impact that a father’s presence can have in a young girl’s life. Simply put, it’s impossible not to be moved by this film.
“We witness young, precocious girls still bubbling with enthusiasm. They’re not yet dulled to the number of years they’ll be apart from their dads,” Jason Gorber wrote in his Sundance review of the film. “Adolescent girls, however, appear with hard eyes, their jaws locked, made cautious by years of broken promises. There are birthday parties filled with laughter and joy, and one can’t hope but notice the total lack of any adult males around the celebrations. The camera captures it all, managing to portray such an event as more than a simple, joyful reunion. It brings forth the true complexity of these individual relationships that have undergone significant damage, for some beyond any rational hope of repair.” And read more about the film in our interview with Rae and Patton from Hot Docs.
Daughters debuts on Netflix and screens at TIFF Lightbox on August 14.
Synopsis: A moving portrait of empathy and forgiveness, Daughters traces an eight-year documentary journey by filmmaker Natalie Rae and social change advocate Angela Patton. The film intimately follows Aubrey, Santana, Raziah, and Ja’Ana as they prepare for a momentous Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers. Speaking openly about their aspirations, dreams, and the emotional toll of their fathers’ absence, compounded by the constraints of virtual visits, these girls reveal a profound wisdom and resilience beyond their years. As they navigate heartbreak, anger, and uncertainty, they seize a precious opportunity to forge connections. Daughters sheds light on the complexities of familial bonds strained by the unforgiving barriers of the criminal justice system and emphasizes that the foundation of community healing lies within the family unit.
