Netflix’s library of engaging documentaries is about to receive a new addition this week, and if the early reception is any indication, this feature-length doc is set to be one of the streaming service’s strongest new releases of not just the week, but the entire month.
“Daughters” puts the spotlight on the unique bond between a father and daughter when the former is incarcerated, and comes from directors Natalie Rawe and Angela Patton. It comes just a couple of weeks after Netflix’s “Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa” documentary wowed viewers and critics alike and looks set to be another sizeable hit.
If you’re looking for a new documentary to watch on Netflix, then “Daughters” should be at the top of your list. It presents a heartfelt portrayal of a less-than-traditional family setup but also takes the time to look at some of the biggest issues impacting current American society.
This doc needs to be on your radar, but if you want a few more details before committing to adding “Daughters” to your watchlist, here’s all the information you need ahead of its Netflix debut….
What is “Daughters” about?
Angela Patton, CEO of non-profit group Girls for Change, has dedicated her life to empowering Black girls and meeting the needs of the community around her sometimes means breaking the mold. This includes the Date with Dad program, which aims to bring together incarcerated fathers and their young daughters.
This program sees prisoners take part in therapy sessions leading up to a daddy-daughter dance, in which orange jumpsuits are swapped for formal dress, and father and daughter come together for a day of bonding that can make a real difference to these families.
Patton discussed the initiative in a TEDWomen talk in 2012, which was seen by filmmaker Natalie Rae, and the idea for “Daughters” followed soon after. The two spent eight years filming the Date with Dad program in action, and this stirring documentary is the result.
“Daughters” reviews — critics loved this Netflix doc
“Daughters” hits Netflix this week, but has played the festival circuit already, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January (where it won the Audience Award for U.S. Documentary). To say the movie was well-received at Sundance would be an understatement. In fact, “Daughters” holds a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Cath Clarke of the Guardian labeled the doc “a tender, painful, intimate film” while Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair was similarly enthusiastic, saying “Daughters is an alternately shattering and hopeful look at family and the prison system. Patton and Rae spent years following their subjects, and the resulting portraits of lives in limbo are intimate and stirring.”
Calling the documentary emotionally draining seems to be a common theme in several reviews with Hollywood Reporter’s Daniel Fienberg saying “I still came away from Daughters emotionally wrung out like a damp washcloth and infuriated at a system of punishment that too often fails everybody.” The injustice of the U.S. prison system is a key topic in the doc.
The work of co-directors Angela Patoon and Natalie Rae was highlighted by David Ehrlich of IndieWire, who labeled “Daughters” an “enormously moving documentary made all the more effective by co-directors Angela Patton and Natalie Rae’s steadfast refusal to settle for easy sentiment in the face of difficult outcomes.
Should you stream “Daughters” on Netflix
If you’re in the mood for a documentary this week, then “Daughters” arrives on Netflix on Wednesday, August 14, and based on the critical acclaim it’s enjoyed over the past few months it deserves to be slotted straight into your watchlist.
Its combination of emotional insight and fierce criticism of our flawed society should make it a captivating watch. It’s also fantastic to see Netflix further champing the telling of these unseen stories that can all too often be ignored.
“Daughters” isn’t the only worthwhile new addition to the Netflix library this month, here’s our full rundown of all the movies and TV shows added to the streaming service in August 2024. And if you just want highlights, these are the three Netflix movies worth watching first.
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