Netflix’s Top 2024 Documentary Debuts with a Perfect 100% Critics’ Score

One of the bright-eyed girls central to Netflix’s gripping new documentary film Daughters articulates to the camera that it takes the Earth a full year to orbit around the sun. She adds that once this orbit completes, she’ll be able to see her father again.

This poignant yet uplifting documentary from filmmaker Natalie Rae already boasts a 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its August 14 debut on Netflix. The film trails a multi-year journey focusing on Girls for a Change CEO Angela Patton, whose nonprofit aims to empower and uplift Black girls. Daughters specifically hones in on her “Date with Dad” program, designed to nurture the bond between fathers and daughters affected by the prison system.

In the “Date with Dad” program, fathers partake in therapy sessions leading up to a daddy-daughter dance. For this event, the men wear semiformal attire instead of prison garb, to create a cherished and tender union with their daughters.

“Speaking openly about their aspirations, dreams, and the emotional toll of their fathers’ absence, compounded by the constraints of virtual visits, these girls reveal a profound wisdom and resilience beyond their years,” explains Netflix about Daughters, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and secured the Audience Award in Documentary Competition.

“As they navigate heartbreak, anger, and uncertainty, they seize a precious opportunity to forge connections. Daughters sheds light on the complexities of familial bonds strained by the unforgiving barriers of the criminal justice system and emphasizes that the foundation of community healing lies within the family unit.”

The film is the result of a 2012 TEDWomen talk about the “Date with Dad” program that went viral. Following this, Rae approached Patton about documenting the program. Co-directed by Rae and Patton, Daughters also counts Kerry Washington among its executive producers, cementing it as one of Netflix’s most moving and unforgettable documentary releases of the year.

The post originally appeared on BGR.