Netflix documentary “Daughters” documents inspiring father-daughter dance in DC Jail

WTOP's Jason Fraley talks to the co-directors of “Daughters” (Part 1)

At this year's Sundance Film Festival, it won the Audience Award for Best US Documentary.

This week, “Daughters” premieres on Netflix and tells the story of an emotional father-daughter dance in DC Jail.

WTOP met the film's co-directors, Natalie Rae and Angela Patton, who created the dance at the suggestion of young girls at her nonprofit organization Girls For a Change in Richmond, Virginia.

“I run a program that improves opportunities for black girls,” Patton told WTOP. “The girls wanted to do a social change program to change people's views and stereotypes about black men, especially regarding their role as fathers in their lives. When they were planning this special dance to celebrate their fathers, they learned that their friend's father was in prison, and they all felt it was unfair that she couldn't attend the dance.”

So the girls wrote a letter to the sheriff of Richmond and asked if he could help organize a special father-daughter dance for girls whose fathers were in prison. Thankfully, their request was granted.

“He said yes to this incredible experience,” Patton said. “After I did a TED talk about this particular dance, it became DC and a lot of people started reaching out to me. … When other filmmakers reached out to me, they really wanted to tell the prison story … but they never talked about the girls being the focus. … Natalie emailed me and asked if I would meet with her about doing a film with the girls at the center. That really piqued my interest.”

So Patton and Rae met in Virginia and decided to co-direct the film that would later become “Daughters.”

“I met Angela in Richmond and we did preliminary interviews with Sheriff CT Woody at the Richmond Justice Center,” Rae said. “We were allowed to go to Washington DC together and shoot the film as a documentary in an embedded part of that program. … That took place in 2019, after which we continued to follow the families until last year.”

During filming, several inspirational characters appeared, including children like Aubrey, who said the craziest things.

“She's just an incredible person,” Rae said. “When I first met Keith, he kept talking about her with so much light in his eyes and almost started crying, like he was saying, 'She's missing teeth right now, she doesn't have one favorite color, she has three favorite colors and she dances and sings with me,' and I thought, 'That sounds like a really cool kid.' When I met her, I had never seen so much wisdom flow out of that girl. Everything she said was so brilliant.”

Viewers also meet several fathers seeking penance. As they prepare for the dance, they connect with one another in “fatherhood circles” led by life coach Chad Morris of Virginia Commonwealth University.

“One of the hardest parts of editing was cutting down on these wonderful fatherhood circles; each one was two hours long and could have been its own episode,” Rae said. “All of the dads said such beautiful things and showed different connections with their children. The way they worked with Chad over the course of 10 weeks was really special because they felt comfortable in a space that isn't usually conducive to opening up emotionally.”

We won't give away the details of the father-daughter dance – you just have to watch it. I promise you will laugh, cry and, with love in your heart, reflect on our society in a more sublime way.

“I thought this film would bring a refreshing perspective to black girls,” Patton said. “Usually, you don't see in film this genius that is already inside them. You see black girls portrayed in a negative light, but when you get into their world and their reality, we can show you that they are dreamers, that they can contribute to the world, that they have goals and that they have a lot to say. … As long as you don't get in the way, they will open up to you.”

The cinematography is truly magnificent. When a father kneels before his crying daughters and promises to change, the filmmakers cleverly cut to leaves fluttering on the ground, symbolizing change. Immediately after that, there is a focus from a chain-link fence to a graffiti mural on a building that reads “No one is free until everyone is free.”

Even more striking than the images is the text “Where are they now?” before the credits, which shows the statistic that 95% of incarcerated men who participated in the program did not return to prison after their release. The final seconds leave a personal message from the filmmakers themselves: “Dedicated to our fathers.”

“When I was 6 years old, I learned that there were endangered species in the world, and I was so dismayed,” Rae said. “My dad said, 'Well, you can do something about it. You can make a documentary. We can borrow a VHS camera, I can show you how to edit the footage.' My dad really opened my eyes to the fact that I could do social work and make documentaries. … I wouldn't be here if I didn't have that support and love from my dad.”

“Why wouldn't I include my dad?” Patton said. “He's been a champion for all the work I've done to support black girls in our community, but the first black girl he really supported was me. He's always been my inspiration (with) character traits like presence, responsibility and humor. … He tells me I wear the crown perfectly.”

We hope that the proverbial crown will also include some Oscar gold after the upcoming awards season.

WTOP's Jason Fraley talks to the co-directors of “Daughters” (Part 2)

Listen to our entire conversation in the podcast below:

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