“His Three Daughters”: A Minimalistic and Touching Family Drama

This small independent film directed by Azazel Jacobs has received endless praise after its release in Toronto in September.

Summary

Katie, Rachel, and Christina, three estranged sisters, come together to care for their sick father, who is soon to pass away. The film explores the dynamics of this fractured family during the three-day stay in the apartment they all shared once.

A Simple But Effective Execution

The entire film takes place in a small apartment, with only brief peeks of the outside world when we accompany Rachel in her escapades to smoke. This creates a feeling of confinement: the characters are confined in a space, but also to their problems. Every family conflict that has been dragging for years, every reproach, and every difference is magnified by a death that is imminent.

The aspect of the movie that keeps everything working is the portrayal of these three sisters, played by Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, and Elizabeth Olsen. From the first moment, it is clear that their relationship is strained, and the constant stress of the situation they’re going through is not helping. In fact, you will probably find the three of them quite unlikable when the movie begins.

Whichever few things we found out about them are through their conversations and arguments, as well as from phone calls they make during their stay in the apartment. These relatively small amounts of information, though a little vague, give enough context and are useful to explain each of the characters’ personalities. There’s also the added element of staying in the place they all grew up in, which holds a lot of memories for each one. Some happy, some painful, but above everything, all different.

Three Sisters, Three Stories

Katie is the elder sister. With her very controlling and organized personality, she takes to herself most of the responsibility when it comes to the arrangements prior to her father’s passing. At the same time, she feels annoyed with her younger sisters (especially Rachel) for not doing enough.

Rachel, the middle sister, is the only one who is not biologically related to Vincent, but also the one who has lived with him during his illness. She seems to live a very disorganized life, to Katie’s disdain. She is apprehensive about seeing her father in his current state, so she barely goes into the room.

Christina, the youngest, is the most emotional of the sisters. She has soft manners, speaks almost exclusively about her young kid, and tries to be the mediator between the other two women. She is the only one who looks interested in cultivating a better relationship with her sisters.

The more we learn about these three women, the more we understand and sympathize with them. Despite having the same father, their relationship with him was quite different for each one of them, and they are experiencing his death differently. At the end of the day, they are not just facing the loss of a father, but of the only person that ties them together. Like it or not, they are each other’s only family now.

The film takes us through the emotional journey of losing a loved one, but also of healing the relationships with the living.

Release and Critical Response

His Three Daughters was first screened at the Toronto Film Festival, where Netflix acquired the distribution rights. After a very limited theater release, the film became available on the streaming service in late September, receiving glowing reviews from critics.

I had this movie on my watching list for months, but I could not bring myself to sit down and give it a chance. I’m not a fan of the actresses involved, and given the disappointment most of the films have been this year (particularly in the drama genre), I was preparing myself to be annoyed.

However, His Three Daughters has been a surprise. I even found myself shedding some tears by the end. Character-centered scripts are the best of the best, and in this case, the emotional performances elevated the material. Even though the film has a slow pacing, it never becomes boring, and the running time of an hour and forty minutes is perfect to tell the story properly.

In fact, this may be one of my favorite dramas I watch this year. If you still have a Netflix subscription, I recommend you give it a try.