In Daddy I Do, an eye-opening documentary about sexuality, film-maker Cassie Jaye deftly weaves together startling statistics with personal accounts, private interviews, and information about public programs and government funding. A wide variety of individuals and perspectives are represented in this film, including "Abstinence Only" advocates and "Comprehensive Sex Education" proponents.
Jaye talks to unwed mothers, a woman who experienced an abortion, the man who started The Silver Ring Thing (faith-based abstinence), the Purity Ball (abstinence) phenomenon, a faith-based pregnancy counselor, a feminist, a pediatric specialist, a sex education expert, an author of a book on sexuality, and parents of young girls. There is even an American Idol contestant singing a song about her purity, as well as a discussion about sexuality with a group of college fraternity brothers. Cartoon images romanticizing relationships are artfully presented following one woman's tale of waiting for her prince. Throughout the film, Jaye keeps a steady hand and manages to gather and share information without judging nor proselytizing.
Daddy I Do Presents Some Disturbing Images and Statistics
There are some disturbing images in Jaye's film: a father giving a rose to his very young daughter (10 or 11?) who is teetering precariously on a pair of heels, long hair in flowing curls in a backless laced gown as she makes her way to her father, who is preparing to take her to the Purity Ball. The idea of the ball is for young girls to pledge themselves to their fathers and their purity until marriage, yet they seem to increase the emphasis on the girl's appearance and her sexuality as being central to her worth. Receiving over $1.3 billion in federal funds between 1982 and 2008, this program has had over a 90% failure rate, yet one in six girls in 48 states and in 17 countries attend these balls.
There is the founder of the Silver Ring Thing stating that without the Bible it would be okay to have sex with one's daughter (a taboo that is almost universal in all cultures), yet there is no doubt about this man's apparent faith. The sincerity of those promoting such programs, including the Silver Ring Thing, seems fairly presented in the film, yet one could not help noticing the sales being rung up for Silver Ring Thing products, too. This program received $1.1 million in federal funds until the ACLU sued them for promoting Christianity; they no longer receive such funds.
Cassie Jaye's Film Asks Us to Consider How Best to Help Young People Forge Healthy Sexuality
One of the questions which arises from watching this film is this: with statistics overwhelmingly showing that comprehensive sex education works, why has so much funding been going to Abstinence Only programs? Listening to a single unwed mother of five and another unwed mother of two discuss their lives, it is also apparent that these young women had little chance to avoid their fate based on their lack of information, lack of supervision and lack of counseling or parenting. Dr. Claire Bundis, a UCSF Pediatric Specialist, lamented that those who are Pro-Life seem to disappear once the children of the unwed are born, leaving them to struggle without support in finding housing, employment, or child care.
The film opens up many questions and leaves it to the viewer to decide what has gone wrong in our culture's attempt to forge a course of healthy sexuality among the young. Whether it is listening to a Pro-Life college student who is promiscuous or a young teen who does not know what the word abstinence even means (he retorts, "I am Catholic."), an image of a culture with numerous internal conflicts about sexuality emerges. The importance of finding the best possible way to avoid teen pregnancy, abortion and STDs is far too important to be relegated to politics or religious preference. Jaye has captured something in the confused American soul regarding sexuality. Despite the numerous pressing trials of our time, Jaye's film effectively begs the viewer to pay attention to this issue.
- Movie site and trailer
- Official Selection, Cannes Independent Film Festival, 2010
- Best Docu-Drama, Bare Bones Film Festival, 2010
- Best Documentary, Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema, 2010
- Jaye Bird Productions
- 2010
Barbara DeGrande - Barbara DeGrande is a writer, film critic, and blogger, with years of experience as a program developer. She has a Bachelor of Arts in ...
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