To qualify for the program, fathers must complete a 10-week program to strengthen their fathering skills, which means sharing some painful experiences, regrets and fears. One man says it’s the first time he’s been in an environment where men talk about feelings.
As the title suggests, Patton and co-director Natalie Rae put the girls at the center of the story, with the four of them taking center stage. Aubrey is an adorable five-year-old when we first see her. She prides herself on being the smartest in her class, and her report cards hang on a wall. She has a particular interest in arithmetic, and already knows her multiplication tables by heart. As she explains the meaning of the numbers over and over again, we realize that part of the reason they are so meaningful to her is because she’s trying to understand when her father’s seven-year prison sentence, longer than her lifespan, will be over.
Their father’s absence becomes even more traumatic as they grow older and realize that it is the result of poor choices. Santana, 10, understands her father’s situation better and says that, since she has two younger siblings, she had to become the father in her family. She grimly insists that she may get married one day, but will never have children. Ja’Ana, 11, says sadly, “I don’t even remember his face. I don’t remember anything about my father.” Raziah, 15, is cynical, hurt and angry, even considering suicide. The most telling example, however, comes from one of the men, who tells the group that he first had sexual relations with his daughter’s mother when she was just 13. She gave birth to his daughter at 14. He realizes that if her father had been there for her instead of in prison, she would not have been so vulnerable to his attentions.
Michael Fernandez’s cinematography and Kelsey Lu’s gentle music give the film a warmth and lyricism that reflects the girls’ innocence. Light slow motion effects here and there reflect the long days and “long, long thoughts” of the very young. We see moving moments from Patton’s programs that support and encourage black girls and their mothers to recognize their strength, resilience and sense of community. Patton knows how much the mothers have contributed and wants them to feel pride and a sense of sisterhood with one another. By allowing the girls to bond with their fathers, she is helping the mothers too. “When our families are intact, our communities grow.”
