‘Daughters’ on Netflix is a Should-Look ahead to ‘Lady Dads’

Once I was 4 years outdated, my mother and father divorced. I did not know all the small print, however I understood that my father would not dwell with us. He wasn’t concerned a lot in my life after that; turning into extra of a distant reminiscence with every passing yr. Although I nonetheless felt the sting of his absence.

My father battled his demons of drug and alcohol dependancy, which stored him from exhibiting up for my brother and me. After reaching maturity I attempted to achieve out to him just a few occasions to re-establish a relationship, however my efforts had been ignored. The final communication I acquired involving my father was a name letting me know he had been discovered useless in a homeless shelter. 

My grandfather–my father’s dad–was considerably extra concerned in my life, filling the void my father left and fought to be a constant presence in our lives. His actions helped to interrupt limitations for my brother and me, and his encouragement led me to chase my desires of being a author. 

Fatherhood in any kind has lasting influence. And that influence may be much more profound when a father reveals up for his or her youngsters, regardless of difficult circumstances. That theme resonates all through the Netflix documentary Daughters. 

About Netflix’s ‘Daughters’

The Netflix documentary movie follows the lives of 4 younger women, Aubrey, Santana, Raziah, and Ja’Ana, and their Black fathers, who’re incarcerated in a Washington, D.C. jail. The primary storyline facilities across the fathers and daughters getting ready for the Daddy Daughter Dance, created by Angela Patton as part of her Ladies For A Change initiative.

The documentary took eight years to finish and is an element of a bigger program referred to as Date With Dad Weekend, which has existed since 2008.

Since its premiere on the 2024 Sundance Movie Pageant, Daughters has not solely acquired reward, nevertheless it has additionally sparked necessary conversations about Black fatherhood. The movie gained the Viewers Award: U.S. Documentary and was additionally named the general Pageant Favourite at Sundance earlier than being picked up and distributed by Netflix. 

For the daughters collaborating within the Date With Dad Weekend, this would be the solely time they’ll contact or hug their fathers—a few of whom have sentences so long as 20 years.

The documentary is rated PG-13 and has a 1h 48m runtime. It may be a difficult watch, nevertheless it’s a must-see for each guardian, because it demonstrates the therapeutic energy of affection, the limitations of Black fatherhood, and the distinction made while you present up on your youngsters.

It is Attainable for Connection to Transcend Limitations

As a father to 3 daughters and a grandfather to at least one, this movie spoke to what has formed my dedication to at all times be there for my youngsters in each means attainable. 

One of many principal themes of the documentary is the necessity for therapeutic in exhausting circumstances and the way trauma impacts one’s identification and relationships—particularly when it happens in a single’s childhood. Within the movie, we see one of many daughters studying to depend so she will monitor the variety of days till her dad comes residence.

Angela Patton, was quoted speaking in regards to the energy of the father-daughter connection and its influence on identification:

“There is not any denying {that a} girl’s relationship along with her father is likely one of the most vital in her life. The standard of that connection—good, broken, or in any other case—powerfully impacts dads and daughters in a wide range of methods. A father’s impact on his daughter’s psychological well-being and identification is far-reaching. A daughter’s sense of self, as an example, is commonly linked to how her father views her. A woman stands a greater likelihood of turning into a self-confident girl if she has an in depth bond along with her father.”

The fathers in Daughters can discover achievement of their Black fatherhood by preventing to indicate up and construct connections, regardless of their earlier life decisions. Applications just like the Daddy Daughter Dance are an necessary avenue to assist foster these connections no matter circumstance.

The Combat In opposition to Dehumanization Continues

I cried my means by means of Daughters however cheered for these males and their daughters, who obtained to have this expertise collectively. This system is efficient, with 95% of the boys who take part by no means returning to jail, in accordance with data shared with IndieWire. 

The movie introduced out the “human” a part of being human and spoke to the necessity to proceed the battle towards dehumanization that occurs when somebody is incarcerated. We see one instance of that by means of the jail’s telephone system. The documentary reveals how the charges concerned can negatively have an effect on low-income households. We additionally get a glimpse on the situations of those incarcerated males’s each day lives and their want to be reformed residents.

My delivery father was in jail for a time, however I by no means visited him. My grandfather informed me tales of the situations he was in and the way working whereas needing to ask for permission to participate in each a part of his existence was dehumanizing. 

In a means, Daughters helped me to achieve a unique perspective on the daddy I by no means knew. It additionally motivated me to proceed my work as a father of colour and perceive my accountability to be an instance for my women.

If you have not seen Daughters, add it to your watchlist and watch it with your loved ones this weekend. In case you’re a “lady dad” or a “lady granddad”, this movie may function inspiration and motivation to foster your connection along with your daughter and battle to be of their lives—it doesn’t matter what.