His Three Daughters (2024) Review
7.5/10
Number of watches at time of review: 1
synopsis
When their father is placed into hospice care, three estranged sisters come together to take care of him in his final days. They all have the same end goal: for him to pass peacefully. But their different personalities and ways of getting to that goal clash, causing tension.
spoiler-free review
Though it has a rocky start, His Three Daughters is a well done exploration of grief and the way it can affect a family. The performances by Elizabeth Olsen, Natasha Lyonne, and Carrie Coon as the three sisters are incredible, as they need to be for this movie to succeed. Though the movie only takes place over the span of a few days, writer/director Azazel Jacobs (French Exit) does a great job of relaying information about the larger scope of the characters’ lives in a subtle way. His Three Daughters is a tense, emotional drama that will make the audience feel a whole spectrum of emotions.
His Three Daughters (2024)
directed by Azazel Jacobs
written by Azazel Jacobs
cinematography by Sam Levy
music by Rodrigo Amarante
spoiler review
The beginning of the film, in which we see Katie (Carrie Coon) talking to her adoptive sister Rachel (Natasha Lyonne) is a bit perplexing in the way it’s shot and acted. At first it will leave you wondering if Katie is filming a self-tape for an audition, or something of the sort, but over time you realize the candor and tone with which she speaks is just her personality. When the camera eventually flips over to Rachel, it’s almost a relief that she looks just as confused as the audience feels. This strange choice of framing is carried on through certain parts of the movie. with shots that don’t quite make sense. It’s a bit unclear how the apartment is laid out, due to the majority of shots being static ones that don’t show how the space is connected. The scenes will cut from one to another with no sort of transitional shots, as is particularly noticeable when there are cutaways to Katie or Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) on the phone to their families back home.
The apartment itself, though, is a wonderful piece of set design. It gives a very clear image of who the characters who have lived in it are, and there was obviously a lot of care put into making it appear like an actual home rather than a set. Set decorator Roxy Toporowych is only credited on IMDb as having done set decoration for one previous film, The Bronze (2015). Given the detail and love that is evident in her work on this film, it’s exciting to think of what she may do in the future.
Another standout piece of the film, as mentioned in the spoiler-free review, is the acting from the three leads. Carrie Coon does a phenomenal job at making Katie instantly dislikable, but in a way where you can understand where her head is at. Elizabeth Olsen plays Christina as a grieving wreck perfectly, someone who's trying to be put together but failing miserably. And Natasha Lyonne as Rachel is a quiet character who says so much with so little, and her expressions really tell everything you need to know about what she's thinking. Each woman is very much a caricature of a certain type of person, but in a way that works to get the point of the film across.
Some acting that didn't necessarily live up to expectations was the acting from the two caretakers we see, Angel (Rudy Galvan) and the nurse (Jasmine Bracey). Angel in particular felt stiff, that he was just reading lines off of a paper; but he was still able to get a firm warmth across in the performance that often comes from hospice workers.
The other two minor characters we see, Benjy (Jovan Adepo) and Victor (Jose Febus) are wonderfully acted, and they give the audience an interesting insight into the lives of Rachel and her father. Rachel's rapport with each of them conveys information about her well, without the need for exposition dumps. Her friendships with Benjy and Victor are heartwarming, and really show how this environment and these people are her home.
A very interesting choice by Azazel Jacobs has the emotional core of the film, the sisters' ailing father Vincent (Jay O. Sanders), out of sight for the majority of the film. It's only towards the end that the audience are shown him and his physical state, and even then there's a misleading wish fulfilment sequence in which we are shown what he wishes he could say to his daughters as he finally succumbs to his illness. The scene is confusing, at first, for this man who we've been told is barely conscious anymore to speak so clearly and walk around so freely, but the reveal of what is actually happening in that moment is heartwrenching.
The ending, where we get the most iconic shot from the movie of the three sisters all huddled together on the couch, is beautifully done. Seeing the three of them finally show love towards each other is very sweet, and is a good example of how grief can bring people together.
personal connection
Though I haven't been in this exact situation, and I have no siblings, I have dealt with someone very close to me passing away due to cancer. Luckily, I didn't have to see her in a state such as the one Vincent was in during the film except for her final moments, but that connection definitely made the scene of Vincent talking to his daughters hit harder.
final thoughts
The film was a beautiful exploration of grief and how people deal with an ailing relative, and I hope to see similarly poignant content from Azazel Jacobs in the future.