I do like activist style documentaries, the ones with a perspective that there is a cause they are trying to bring to light. Often, these can stumble a bit on their way to the final stage when in the editing bay footage is chosen or not chosen based on the overall central idea that the thing the documentary is about is more important than the film itself. Sometimes, these end up working, because they’ve shown show much footage, it is almost impossible to imagine that there is another side, or anything could be creatively edited. Take ‘The cove’ for example, which eventually leads to the full on slaughter of dozens of dolphins, that were driven and trapped. It becomes really hard to watch that, and then want balanced coverage, like those guys go home to a family where their kids think they’re great people.
So Daughters has a lot on its shoulders, because it is introducing a wider audience to the concept of a program that keeps incarcerated men in their daughters lives, and even offers them classes and counseling on parenting. This leads to these fathers having a better anchor, and daughters not feeling abandoned by their fathers while they serve their time. Instead of killing dolphins as the crux, we have a father/daughter dance that is adorable, and these little girls who don’t understand all the reasons they can’t see their dads for awhile.
But some things are just left unsaid. What did these fathers do? Some of them are facing heavy time. One father I believe got a 30 year sentence. I think in the effort for as many people to be welcoming to this idea, they decided that audiences would tune out if we knew more about these dads. I disagree. I think that if we know what these men did, and can see how this program changes and affects them, see the recognition of ramifications of deeds already done, it humanizes them further. Perhaps, if you have someone here convicted of murder, there’s just so much an adorable five-year old daughter would do for some people. But never underestimate the power of these cute kids pulling at your heartstrings.
There’s a group, so it would be hard to reveal everyone and still keep this narrative structure, but I feel like the filmmaker felt like by going there they would ultimately lose their audience that could possibly rally to fund a program like this. One of the things I noticed was that they drop a statistic at the end where we learn how long the program has been in effect (not long), and the amount of fathers who have successfully done the program and not committed another crime that would send them to jail. But as we see men in this film get sentences that are longer than the programs life span, one wonders just how many have actually completed and been released to even create that demo. It’s really simple things, but the clear decision to not include certain things really plays its hand like it has the full winning deck. But, in this poker game, it isn’t the unbeatable Royal Flush. It’s something strong, and close to perfect. Perhaps four of a kind. And maybe, for that hand, it is enough. But in some instances, it won’t be.
It’s a documentary I want everyone to see, that I think will get an Oscar nomination,but I’m still pulling for there to be a better assembled documentary to win, like last years harrowing 20 Days In Mariupol.
Really close to greatness. Like, if Icarus stopped just short of the point where his wings caught fire.
Final Grade: A-
