Daughters

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.

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.

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.

The power of touching is so meaningful.

When childrens are removed from touching their parent,they doubt the possibility of surviving in the World.

The baby is aware of the human connection amd respond to being protected and loved. The Baby yearns for touch.

And as we get older,we continue to yearn from that,and it heals so many wounds.

Even sometimes those wounds sting, you're like, "Wow it probably would have been a more open wound for a longer time, if i didn't take care of it"

Alonzo recieved a sentence of 30 year's.that shocked me

Wow this documentary is so artful with mixture of guilt,shame,loveless, human emotions.

Angela Patton and Natalie Rae Directed this documentary very well ... But this documentary is lttle lengthy... otherwise Wow ... These female directors Beautifully made this documentary.

This is a VERY raw look at a program designed for fathers to get to have a dance date with their daughters while incarcerated.

There's no skimping the rough parts that are the realities that come with both the young children getting this rare opportunity and that aren't easy for them emotionally. Neither is it a field day for the men who aren't just some "hardened criminal" behind bars. They are men who truly understand what they're missing, as well as the harms from their actions, to their daughters.

It's also a moving, up close, personal experience for us to share these precious moments with them. The "roller coaster" as they stated. If you are in touch with your human side, the side that makes mistakes, or the parent that you may be, then you may be like me... crying through most parts of this documentary.

It's unlike most prison documentaries. It's one about the families on the inside and the other side of the barbed wire fence. What power those constraints hold.

Oh! And the youngest daughter and her father are two of the most beautiful people highlighted during this story.