Angela Patton had a viral TEDXWomen Talk in 2013. She talked about a program she started in Richmond, Virginia that involved bringing together girls and their incarcerated fathers in an environment where the fathers and daughters could feel cherished and connected. The success of these “Daddy Daughter Dances” led to further expansion of the scheme into other prisons. “Daughters,” a documentary co-directed by Patton, is about the inaugural dance done in a prison in Washington D.C. According to her, when she wrote the individual responsible for proposing it, he replied with an immediate yes: “No one has ever requested something as powerful as this moment.”
For admission into this programme, fathers must undergo a ten-week course aimed at enhancing their skills as dads during which they are expected to share some painful experiences, regrets and fears. One man says it is the first time he has ever been in an environment where men talk about feelings.
The title suggests that Patton and her co-director Natalie Rae make girls central characters with four being the main ones. When we first meet Aubrey at five years old, she is totally cute. She prides herself on being top student in her class; hence there are numerous certificates of achievement covering her entire wall. Her interest especially lies in arithmetic since she’s already learned how recite times tables. As she keeps explaining what numbers mean to her we understand that one reason why they are so important to Aubrey is that she wants to know when her father’s seven year sentence will be over because it took longer than the time she has lived on earth for him get convicted
The fact that their fathers are not there becomes more traumatic for them as they grow older and realize that the reason is because of bad decisions. Santana at 10 has a better understanding of her dad’s situation than the other two siblings, thus she claims to be the family’s father. She grimly insists she might get married someday but will never have children. 11-year-old Ja’Ana says sadly, “I don’t even remember his face. I don’t remember nothing about my father.” Raziah, who is 15, is cynical, hurt, and angry, even contemplating taking her own life. However he says it all when one of these men confesses to the group that he first had sex with his daughter’s mother when she was just thirteen years old and by age fourteen they had borne a child together.
Cinematography by Michael Fernandez and gentle music by Kelsey Lu give the film a warmth and lyricism that reflects innocence of girls. Some slow-motion effects here and there help convey how long these little ones spend each day thinking thoughts in their minds over and over again. In her programs meanwhile Patton uses moving instances like these so as to show mothers some love for black girls this their strength resilient and sense of belongingness through community .
Patton appreciates what the mothers bring into their families therefore she wants them to be proud of themselves as women who are united with each other in sisterhood terms too. For instance ,he helps those girls develop a bond with their fathers which on the other hand assist these mothers also .”Once our families are complete our communities rise up.”
There are many poignant moments depicted in “Daughters,” which received both an Audience Award for Best Documentary and Sundance Festival Favorite Award.Seeing fathers exchange orange prison jumpsuits for suits is incredibly significant.And then we see some dads teaching others how to tie neckties…a thing that we associate mainly with the father-son bond, but also with rites of passage like graduation and first dates, or job interviews which these men never had. It is overwhelmingly moving when a man wears a flower in his lapel …and then, when the bitter adieus begin each of them turn over his to his daughter as a symbol of their commitment.
Why are the men in prison? This movie does not answer that question. What this film is about is summed up by one of its title character’s lines from “American Fiction,” “Nobody is as bad as on their worst day.” They love their daughters though they cannot be part of their lives too; this only worsens their feeling that there isn’t any hope for them anymore. Importantly, their girls need them around at all times.
As discussed in the Sing Sing program Rehabilitation Through The Arts recidivism rates for fathers participating in this program hover around three percent . Still one father in an update at the end claims he was never out of jail for more than six months since he was nineteen until he found out how important it was to be there for his girl and has been free four years and counting by now .
Many prisons have moved away from personal visitation and towards remote connections which are expensive for families.
The fathers and daughters hug tightly for the first time in years, a release of infinite tension and sorrow that is beyond words. One of the fathers says: “I was no prisoner for six hours.”
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