After I was 4 years outdated, my mother and father divorced.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 stay with us. He wasn’t concerned a lot in my life after that; changing into extra of a distant reminiscence with every passing 12 months. Although I nonetheless felt the sting of his absence.

My father battled his demons of drug and alcohol habit, which stored him from exhibiting up for my brother and me. After reaching maturity I attempted to succeed in out to him a couple of instances to re-establish a relationship, however my efforts had been ignored. The final communication I obtained 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 obstacles for my brother and me, and his encouragement led me to chase my goals of being a author. 

Fatherhood in any kind has lasting impression. And that impression may be much more profound when a father exhibits 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 making 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 a component of a bigger program referred to as Date With Dad Weekend, which has existed since 2008.

Since its premiere on the 2024 Sundance Movie Competition, Daughters has not solely obtained reward, but it surely has additionally sparked necessary conversations about Black fatherhood. The movie gained the Viewers Award: U.S. Documentary and was additionally named the general Competition 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 will 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, but it surely’s a must-see for each mother or father, because it demonstrates the therapeutic energy of affection, the obstacles of Black fatherhood, and the distinction made if you present up on your children.

It is Attainable for Connection to Transcend Obstacles

As a father to a few 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 children in each approach doable. 

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

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

“There is not any denying {that a} lady’s relationship together with her father is without doubt one of the most important in her life. The standard of that connection—good, broken, or in any other case—powerfully impacts dads and daughters in quite a lot 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 usually related to how her father views her. A woman stands a greater likelihood of changing into a self-confident lady if she has an in depth bond together with her father.”

The fathers in Daughters can discover success 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 Battle Towards Dehumanization Continues

I cried my approach by 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 line with data shared with IndieWire. 

The movie introduced out the “human” a part of being human and spoke to the necessity to proceed the struggle towards dehumanization that occurs when somebody is incarcerated. We see one instance of that by the jail’s cellphone system. The documentary exhibits 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 start 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 approach, 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 shade and perceive my duty 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 the event you’re a “lady dad” or a “lady granddad”, this movie may function inspiration and motivation to foster your connection together with your daughter and struggle to be of their lives—it doesn’t matter what.