Daughters on Netflix: Storytelling and the Unfinished Business of Daughters and Their Fathers Behind Bars

Daughters-Netflix movie poster. Daughters is a heartbreaking look at families affected by incarceration.

In the documentary Daughters, we witness the poignant stories of young Black girls navigating the complex emotional and psychological challenges tied to their fathers' incarceration. The film follows participants of the DMV-based Girls for Change and Date with Dad programs as they prepare for a Daddy-Daughter dance with their incarcerated fathers. Through this lens, we explore the intricate dynamics of loss, resilience, and emotional growth.

As a psychologist specializing in women’s mental health and consulting in the entertainment industry, I am particularly drawn to how storytelling can illuminate these psychological experiences, offering both a mirror and a roadmap for audiences. Daughters accomplishes this by presenting the girls love for their fathers as they simultaneously grapple with their father wounds which are complicated, nagging, and unresolved. You'll feel the girls’ pain and wonder what happens next for them. This lingering, unresolved feeling reflects the real-life complexities of father wounds and the traumatic impact of incarceration on families.

As you watch, you'll see the girls advocating for relationships with their fathers, despite the reality that these same fathers made choices that took them away. You'll also sense the presence of the mothers, who, though not the focus of the documentary, hold space for their daughters while grappling with their own feelings about the fathers of their children. Meanwhile, incarcerated fathers, desperate to redeem themselves in their daughters' eyes, use their limited agency to show up despite the barriers imposed by incarceration.

When we zoom out, we see these families confronting the broader reality of mass incarceration and its disproportionate impact on Black families. Burdened by the expense of video calls and the restriction of touch visits, these families are stripped of access to their fathers due to unpredictable transfers and lengthy sentences. The pain of doing time alongside their fathers, and the psychological burden this imposes, is palpable.

The Power of Storytelling in Daughters

From a psychological perspective, the power of storytelling in Daughters lies in its ability to reveal the unfiltered loss experienced by families impacted by incarceration, without offering tidy resolutions. As a psychologist, I’ve seen women weep over the hurt, disappointment, and abandonment they’ve experienced in their relationships with their fathers. Watching this documentary, I found myself struggling—not because it’s my job to fix their pain, but because the raw, unresolved emotions depicted resonate with the real-life complexities of father wounds.

Understanding the father wound- The father wound encompasses the emotional pain and unmet needs related to one’s father or father figure. This can involve issues like abandonment, criticism, or lack of support, deeply influencing self-worth, relationships, and how we approach goals and boundaries. Grounded in Attachment Theory, as posited by Bowlby and Ainsworth, the parental wound—whether maternal or paternal—can profoundly impact a child's perception of themselves, relationships, and the world.

This is what makes Daughters so powerful. It refuses to offer easy answers because human struggles and pain are rarely resolved neatly, especially not in a 96-minute documentary. The unfinished feeling you’re left with is realistic and the way it was depicted by the filmmakers highlights how storytelling in film can influence public understanding and reduce stigma around psychological experiences, particularly in marginalized communities, and do so with accuracy, compassion, and nuance.

Seeing the Unseen

The truth is the girls in Daughters don’t need us in the ways we might think. Watching them say goodbye to their fathers after the highly anticipated dance, you can’t help but wish there was some way to take their pain away, to rescue them from the realities of pain, disappointment, and unfairness inherent in having an incarcerated parent. But as the girls themselves demonstrate, they have the capacity—and the support—to navigate the labyrinth of hurt and trauma in their lives. What they need most is a realistic and sustainable opportunity for a relationship with their fathers. They need us to see them, to acknowledge their strength, and to recognize the system that strategically gets in the way of their relationships. They need empathy and compassion that turns into real advocacy and systemic change.

You will feel the weight of this documentary. As viewers, I encourage you to trust in the process, both for yourselves and for the girls. If you walk away angered by the criminal justice system’s disproportionate impact on Black families, frustrated by their inhumane treatment, or wondering what happens next for the girls—then Daughters has succeeded.

For daughters watching with a father wound, the stories of loss and hope in Daughters will likely resonate. I encourage self-compassion and the pursuit of your own healing journey. Trust that the girls in the documentary do not continue their journey alone but recognize that many more children struggle daily with the pain of having an incarcerated parent.

After the screening, I spoke with Angela Patton, the co-director of the documentary. She assured me that the girls have therapists, the mothers have support, and the fathers had a debriefing after the dance. This film bridges the gap between psychological theory and cinematic storytelling, providing a deeper understanding of how documentaries like Daughterscontribute to mental health awareness and advocacy.

On a larger scale, let this film inspire you to advocate for the creation and funding of programs like Girls for Change and Date with Dad, which support the psychological needs of those affected by biased and unjust systems. Challenge the policies that replace in-person visits with costly video calls and use your voice to fight against the systems that exacerbate the physical, economic, and psychological burdens on these families.

What did you think of Daughters? Did it leave you with unresolved feelings? If you are a writer, screenwriter, or filmmaker that is interested in telling a story that is accurate, compassionate, nuanced and impactful, let’s connect.

Dr. Jasmine Ross