Netflix’s best new movie gets a perfect critics’ score of 100%

This article was published on August 17th and republished on August 19th and 20th.

This film will likely fly under the radar despite the perfect 100% rating from critics, but Netflix currently has a new top movie that doesn’t appear in the top 10, likely due to its subject matter and lack of awareness about it.

The film is “Daughters,” a documentary about the “Date with Dad” program, in which daughters come to prison to see their fathers. It’s more than just a visit. It’s a little party at a time when many prisons have stopped in-person visits altogether, allowing video or phone calls at best.

“Daughters” hit theaters on August 14 and has garnered 43 reviews, significantly more than many Netflix original films, and has a perfect “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film’s lack of popularity may have something to do with Netflix’s recommendation algorithm. I had to scroll through the “New” section about five times to find it, and of course Netflix doesn’t show critic reviews, so there’s nothing to indicate how good it is. And I suppose most people’s recommendation algorithm doesn’t revolve around “documentaries about daughters visiting their fathers in prison.”

It’s not a pure feel-good story. The daughters often have complicated reactions to their fathers and the film doesn’t shy away from that. Although it’s a documentary and not a fun weekend blockbuster, it certainly seems worth watching. Currently, the full top 10 list of films that haven’t found “Daughters” after three days is as follows:

1. The Union
2. Emoji – The Movie
3. Evening school
4. Trolls: Unite
5. The Lorax
6. Save Bikini Bottom
7. pearl
8. In the head of a dog
9. Jack Reacher: No Way Back
10. The Super Mario Bros. Movie

So yes, there is a lot more mainstream competition out there, but perhaps such exposure of Daughters will ensure that the film gets more viewers. If it really is that good, we can even expect an Oscar nomination in the documentary category later this year, but we’ll see, it’s still a bit early to know. And although there are already several dozen reviews, we rarely see reviews as perfect as this one.

If I have time this weekend or next week, I will definitely watch the film as it is getting so much praise, even though Netflix doesn’t seem to want to offer it to me directly. Which is a shame as it seems to deserve better.

Update (19.08.): Well, I thought I’d check out Netflix’s top 10 list and see if this movie has gained any notoriety. Right at the bottom of the list is a new movie. It’s not “Daughters,” it’s “Minion.” Unfortunately.

I did some research on the film before watching it and there are some interesting interviews with co-directors Natalie Rae and Angela Patton. Here’s Rae after a screening at the August Academy in Beverly Hills:

“That performance was just so powerful,” Rae said. “There were five standing ovations and so much laughter and joy and energy. You worked on it on and off for three years. To finally be able to share it and feel the emotion, I wasn’t prepared for that.”

Netflix bought the film after it won the US Documentary Audience and Festival Favorite awards at Sundance. And now they want it to be an Oscar contender in due course, and it certainly seems well-equipped to do that. Here’s Rae again.

“This is the story of young girls about the wisdom that these young girls had to know what to say. ‘I want to dance with my father in this prison.’ It’s so profound. It was about their inner world, their experiences, the power they have to make change in the world.”

“Daughters” is now streaming.

Update 2 (20.08.): I was curious and pulled up a list of the highest rated Netflix original movies of all time to see if there were any other movies that could compare to the 100% we see here for Daughters. Yes, it still holds that number a week later with 50 reviews (but no, it didn’t make the top 10 list, which now consists almost entirely of kids’ movies).

It turns out there is only one 100% Netflix original movie according to a list that I believe is 1.5 years old, but it’s probably still good enough. Here are the top rated Netflix original movies so far:

1. Caliber – 95%
2. The Irishman – 95%
3. Tramp – 96%
4. To all the boys I’ve ever loved – 96%
5. Rome – 96%
6. Dolemite is my name – 97%
7. Ma Rainey’s Black Ass – 97%
8. The forty-year-old version – 99%
9. Daughters – 100%
10. His house – 100%

There are some really interesting stories on this list, but many films you probably haven’t heard of because they’re lesser known. Others like The Irishman were very well known, an expensive Martin Scorsese film that Netflix signed up. Roma was a big Oscar film. But I was really surprised to see To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before on the list, an admittedly good teen romantic comedy, but only 96%? No wonder it spawned a whole trilogy and spin-offs.

As for His House, yes I have seen it. It is a horror film about a family haunted by their past, demons living within the walls of their former lives. It has 100% with a staggering 127 reviews and you have no idea how hard it is to maintain a perfect score with so many reviews. Truly impressive and obviously the 2020 film is worth a look.

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