New Netflix film with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes receives “trigger warning” from viewers

Netflix Fans have insisted that a new heartbreaking film with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating should come with a trigger warning because it leaves them “in a shambles.”

Viewers cried over the “emotionally raw” and “haunting” documentary “Daughters,” which follows daughters reunited with their incarcerated fathers for a once-in-a-lifetime dance in a Washington, D.C. prison.

The Date With Dad program is designed to strengthen family bonds and prevent recidivism. 95% of participating fathers have never returned to prison in the 12 years since the program was introduced.

The Netflix documentary highlights the program, which sees dads commit to group sessions for ten weeks before culminating in dancing, and has been a hit with critics and viewers alike.

On Rotten Tomatoes, “Daughters” has a rare 100% score from over 50 reviews, while X-users were “confused” after witnessing the “pride, joy and love” between the fathers and their daughters.

@ProducerStewart warned: “Trigger warning! #Daughters on #Netflix will move you to tears! It's a documentary that follows inmates and their families as they prepare for a father-daughter dance at a Washington DC prison.”

Ciarra (@Csquared817) chimed in: “Daughters on Netflix broke my heart. This should be mandatory viewing for men with daughters. There's no way you can't understand the pain you're causing your children when you watch this.”

Meanwhile, @DeeGlow praised “Daughters” for being “so beautifully done” and admitted they “cried the entire two hours.”

@Meg_FullofJoie then joked, “Bro who let me watch #Daughters on Netflix? I wasn't prepared to cry like that.”

@maurachanz said the daughters “left them in a 'mess',” while @Leauxness revealed they were “sobbing,” and @kopykwotes commented they were “completely confused.”

“I'd be shocked if I see a better documentary the rest of the year,” said @EzraCubero, while @novemdeciem said it was “painful” for them to watch the film and urged their followers to watch “Daughter” too.

@gr8_BRITian added: “I have tears in my eyes watching #Daughters on Netflix. The pride, the joy, the love that the Date with Dad dance must have brought, such a beautiful moment.”

Mark's story

One of the prisoner stories told in Daughters is that of Mark, who spent most of his life in prison, where he was better known as Murder.

He said the origin of his nickname was a “long story,” but over the years he spent in and out of a cell, it eventually evolved into Murdock.

Whether he was Murder, Murdock or Mark, the father was regularly in and out of prison and, after his release, never managed to spend more than six months in the outside world before relapsing.

But that was until he enrolled in a “life-changing” program at a Washington DC prison. Now, Mark has been living back home with his family for four years.

Before Mark became a changed man, his crimes devastated his young daughter, Santana. Ten-year-old Santana said she was “sick” of seeing herself cry every time her father was put back behind bars.

Her father's crimes caused her constant despair, and she vowed not to shed “a single tear” if he continued to reoffend, she told the filmmakers in “Daughters.”

She was asked what she would say to Mark, who would be imprisoned if she had free reign. Her words were hurtful.

“The next time you get out of prison or the next time you go back to prison, I won't shed a single tear,” Santana said, imagining her father.

“I have no tears left because he keeps doing bad things that he shouldn't do. That's not okay. That affects me.”

Sitting in the car with rain pounding against the windows, Santana also told the documentary filmmakers how Mark's absence profoundly affected her future decisions. She never wanted to have children again.

She said, “Never in my life will I ever be a mother. You can give me a million dollars, I still won't be a mother, I don't care. I can have a husband. I'll get married at 35. And if I have children, I'll get married at 45.”

Mark became Santana's father when she was only 16, but was unable to see her grow up and achieve all of her usual milestones because he was in prison.

He was rarely able to see her anymore because personal visits in prison, so-called touch visits, were restricted in the United States in 2014.

According to Daughters, very few prisons now allow physical visits. Instead, families can contact their incarcerated loved ones via video call for a fee.

But the nonprofit organization Girls For A Change is trying to change that with its unique and radical program “Date With Dad.”

Prisoners who participate in this program must complete a ten-week course with a fatherhood coach and are rewarded with a personal dance with their daughters.

Mark was one of the dads who successfully participated in Date With Dad. After dancing with Santana, he promised to “never leave her again.”

“You want me to stay in your life forever?” he asked her, realizing for the first time that the best way to ensure this was to stay on the right path.

Mark is not the only father who has turned his back on a life of crime thanks to the Date With Dad program. In the 12 years since its launch, 95% of participating fathers have never returned to prison.

Mark's fresh start came shortly after the dance with Santana when he was released. It has now been four years since he was last behind bars and he has not relapsed, which is a personal record for him.

Mark said: “The father-daughter dance was different. Like I said, there were no touch visits and so I was able to hug my daughter and wrestle with her because she likes that… for me that was definitely great.

“For those six hours, I wasn't locked down. My mind was literally with my daughter. When it was time for me to leave, I was confused. I thought, 'Wait a minute, I'm not going home with my daughter?' It was really unbelievable.

“In my entire life I have never been out of prison for more than – I would say – six months.”

“Just being able to spend time with my daughter while I was locked up while they were doing the dance… it's been four years now and I haven't been arrested.”

“It definitely changed my life.”

Now Santana is no longer crying tears. She told the show's producers: “He did well. He accomplished it. He accomplished what we talked about. I'm just happy.”

At the end of Daughters, Mark celebrated Santana's 13th birthday with cake and a meal at a buffet restaurant. Normal family activities that he no longer takes for granted… thanks to a dance.

“Daughters” is now available to stream on Netflix.

A version of this article was first published on August 17.

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