Daughters

Attended this screening last minute at the Hot Docs Film Festival and so glad I did.

This is a must watch documentary to see the father-daughter dance program at a prison in DC. Witness the unraveling emotions before, during & after the dance and how such a night was a life changing moment for inmates experiencing a glimpse of fatherhood for a moment in time. The effects of incarceration is sentimentally portrayed through families dealing with visitation limitations and the diminishing intimacy daughters have with their fathers behind bars as they progress through childhood.

This dance program being implemented in prisons across America has been proven to drastically reduce reincarnation rates of inmates and this emotional documentary shows why.

Real, raw, and emotional. You could feel the genuine desire to become better from the fathers for their daughters. I loved the pure, unfiltered, and honest views from both the the fathers and daughters. I loved the soundtrack. I shed tears of joy and sadness because at the end of the day, we all need that unconditional love. I also enjoyed seeing the girls grow and point of view change. The passion from the mentors was beautiful, it was uplifting and you could tell it helped improve their self esteem and confidence. The documentary was beautifully produced and directed. I also applaud the family's for being vulnerable and honest. Beautiful. Ps. Have some tissues nearby.

Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

"Daughters" won the Audience Awards for Festival Favorite and U. S. Documentary which is well-deserved because the documentary is a great exploration of how prison is horrifying, the connections between fathers and daughters who are separated because of prison, and the challenging both sides are able to encounter.

With strong visual presentation, discussions, and insightful conversations, filmmakers Angela Patton and Natalie Rae were able to create a profound and meaningful documentary and the themes and concepts that were explored are well-executed. Each moments that were handled felt genuine and I did get emotional when watching this one.

Overall, it's one experience to witness especially for parents and families.

Beware of when watching, your tears will want to flow no matter how hard you try to fight. A touching debut documentary from Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, Daughters is a showcase of the surplus of emotions the Date With Dad program brings to these young girls' lives. At times the film feels like it battles its own structure, leaving a questionable trail of decisions that made me think it would diminish what came before, however, such was not the case. Small decisions like shooting the dance on film made the experience more tangible and effective, ensuring the heart of the documentary never withers away.

You know when you haven't cried in a long time, and you get that sort of frog in your throat? You will cry. I don't think I've seen so much sincere expression of emotion in any movie, which was cathartic for me. I am crying right now thinking about it. Sundance 2024 was a good festival for authentic, heartfelt stories like this, with "Look into my Eyes" coming in second (also highly recommended).

Daughters is the true life "aftersun", all true stories of girls who are growing up separated from their dads. It was so, so well done.

Made me think I should call my dad. Walked into the freshmarket after having this thought and "call me maybe" was playing. Maybe I will call him. Idk what else to say.

This should absolutely win an Oscar.