Girls on Netflix Is a Must-Watch Show for Girl Dads

When I was 4 years old, my parents divorced. I don’t know all the details, but I know my dad won’t be living with us anymore. From then on he was no longer involved in my life. Year after year it becomes more and more distant. Although I still feel the sting of his absence.

My father battled the demons of drug and alcohol addiction, which kept him from being present for my brother and me. As an adult, I made several attempts to contact him to rekindle the relationship, but my efforts were ignored. The last communication I received about my father was a phone call telling me he was found dead in a homeless shelter.

My grandfather – my father’s father – became more involved in my life, filling the void left by my father and trying to be a consistent presence in our lives. His actions helped break down barriers between my brother and I, and his encouragement guided me to pursue my dream of becoming a writer.

Fatherhood in any form can have lasting effects. The impact can be even more profound when fathers are present for their children in challenging situations. This theme resonates in Netflix documentary daughters.

About Netflix’s Daughters

Netflix documentaries It follows the lives of four young girls, Aubrey, Santana, Razia, and Jayanna, and their black father, who are incarcerated in a Washington, D.C., prison. The main storyline revolves around fathers and daughters preparing for the “Daddy-Daughter Dance,” which was created by Angela Patton as part of the Girls for Change program.

The documentary took eight years to complete and is part of a larger program launched in 2008 called Date a Weekend with Dad.

Since premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, daughters Not only was it praised, but it sparked important conversations about black fatherhood. The film won the American Documentary Audience Award and was named a favorite at the Sundance Film Festival before being picked up and distributed by Netflix.

For the daughters attending Date with Dad Weekend, it will be the only time they can touch or hug their fathers – some of whom have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 20 years.

The documentary is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 1 hour and 48 minutes. This may be a challenging watch, but it’s a must-see for every parent as it shows the healing power of love, the obstacles of black fatherhood, and the difference you make when you show up for your children.

Connections beyond barriers are possible

As a father of three daughters and grandfather of one, this film is about what shaped my commitment to always be there for my children in every way possible.

One of the themes of the documentary is the need to heal in difficult circumstances, and how trauma affects a person’s identity and relationships – especially when it occurs during a person’s formative years. In the film, we see one of the daughters learning to count so that she can figure out how many days until her father comes home.

Angela Patton talks about the power of the father-daughter relationship and its impact on identity:

“It is undeniable that a woman’s relationship with her father is one of the most important relationships in her life. The quality of that relationship—whether good, damaged, or otherwise—is intensely affected in many ways. Affects both father and daughter.

Fathers are here daughters They can find fulfillment in Black fatherhood by making an effort to show up and connect despite the choices they made in their previous lives. No matter the situation, programs like Daddy-Daughter Dance are an important way to help foster these connections.

The fight against dehumanization continues

I cried all the way daughters But cheers to these men and their daughters for going through this experience together. According to information shared with IndieWire, the program is so effective that 95 percent of participants never return to prison.

The film shows the “human” part of humanity and talks about the need to continue fighting against the dehumanization that occurs when someone is incarcerated. We saw an example of this through the prison phone system. This documentary shows how the costs involved negatively impact low-income families. We also get a glimpse into the daily lives of these incarcerated individuals and their aspirations to become reformed citizens.

My biological father was in prison for a while, but I never visited him. My grandfather told me about the conditions he was placed in and how dehumanizing it was to work while needing permission to participate in every part of his life.

to some extentdaughters Helped me see the father I never knew in a different light. It also inspires me to continue my work as a father of color and understand that I have a responsibility to set an example for my daughters.

If you haven’t seen it yet daughters, Add it to your watchlist and watch it with your family this weekend. If you’re a “girl dad” or “girl grandpa,” this movie can serve as inspiration and motivation to connect with your daughters and fight to be a part of their lives—no matter what.