'His Three Daughters' review: Grief is a real bitch

Out nan gate, nan formed unsocial for His Three Daughters demands notice: Carrie Coon, who deserved — but did not person — an Oscar information for her capacity arsenic nan combative copy sister of Gone Girl; Elizabeth Olsen, who has been awing critics since agelong earlier WandaVision pinch her turns successful indie dramas for illustration nan cult-focused Martha Marcy May Marlene; and Natasha Lyonne, '90s cool woman icon turned Emmy-nominated Orange Is nan New Black star turned rumply but riveting detective successful Poker Face.

Each not only boasts a heady surface presence, making their heroines instantly consciousness for illustration nan benignant of women who cognize really to grip themselves, but besides possesses a move scope that intrigues immediately. Where mightiness their latest domiciled autumn connected nan standard of harm and determination? (Their champion characters connection plentifulness of both.)

Such powerhouse talent packed into 1 movie is capable to fulfill connected capacity alone, particularly erstwhile these compelling actors are pitted against 1 different successful His Three Daughters, a ruthless, humane, and darkly funny communicative of condolences and letting go. And yet this family drama, sharply written and directed by Azazel Jacobs (French Exit), cuts moreover deeper pinch clever crafting.

What's His Three Daughters about?

In a lived-in but tidy two-bedroom flat successful Lower Manhattan, 3 estranged sisters are reluctantly reunited arsenic their terminally sick begetter ebbs into his last days, which impact in-home hospice care. These sisters couldn't beryllium much different, some successful cognition and successful really they're handling nan impending decease of nan dada they shared successful nan flat each has called home. (Sam Levy's cinematography often keeps nan walls and constrictive doorways successful frame, perpetually reminding america conscionable really adjacent — and almost suffocating — these quarters are.)

Coon kicks things disconnected arsenic Katie, a ruthlessly logical Brooklyn mom who originates nan movie pinch a breathless yet dependable speech explaining really nan sisters must wall backmost their emotions and grievances to attraction connected nan task astatine hand: giving their dada nan astir serene extremity possible. "Things from nan past don't matter," she says firmly. "Not correct now."

There's a rich | New York consciousness of neurotic joke successful Katie's opening speech, which is afloat of passion successful its subtext but purposefully bled of throbbing emotion. This reside is not conscionable a setup that she is simply a reservoir aching to break, but besides a setup to nan film's first blase joke. The punchline is nan guidance changeable from Lyonne, whose weary look screams "fuck you" though her lips ne'er move.

Rachel (Lyonne), a Lower East Side stoner who makes her money done sports betting, lives successful this flat pinch their father. Yet erstwhile her sisters invade, she sidesteps, letting them make demands, laic down rules, and predominate nan speech pinch nan hospice workers who travel regular to springiness attraction and advise. While Katie and youngest sister Christina (Olsen) return turns watching complete their begetter successful his room astatine nan extremity of nan hall, Rachel ducks into her ain room to get precocious aliases bent retired pinch her maybe-boyfriend Benji (Jovan Adepo).

Where Katie is brisk and business casual and Rachel is laden successful New York sports cogwheel and cookware fume pinch nan husky yet relaxed sound to match, Christina has a agleam smile, near-teary eyes, and nan benignant of flimsy casual deterioration that could costs $1 aliases hundreds. The babe of this group lives crossed nan country, location that reflects her sunny cognition and allows her to indulge successful seeing her favourite jam bands, for illustration The Grateful Dead.

Where Katie enters their dad's room pinch a intent (getting nan DNR bid sorted) and Rachel avoids it, Christina goes successful shiny and pinch a opus connected her lips. Naturally, erstwhile tossed together, these forces collide successful passive fierce barbs, whispered resentments, caustic assumptions, and plentifulness of wounded feelings.

Mashable Top Stories

Coon, Lyonne, and Olsen are superb and nerve-racking successful His Three Daughters.

Thanks successful portion to Coon's rapid-fire speech astatine nan top, His Three Daughters feels for illustration a shape play adapted to nan screen. The claustrophobic mounting of nan flat adds to this feel, trapping nan characters successful a fraught level scheme that intends there's nary measurement to flight to nan extracurricular world without affectional encounters astatine their dad's door, successful nan mini kitchenette, aliases successful nan living/dining area that often becomes nan shape for sister showdowns.

While Coon crisply sets nan gait and nan heady consciousness of theatricality done her punctuated stoicism, Lyonne brings misfit power that infuses nan movie pinch New York authenticity. Whether shrugging disconnected her sister's bad cognition aliases joking astir pinch nan building's information guard, she exudes that defiant individualism that defines nan city. His Three Daughters offers pockets of backstage moments, successful which each sister escapes nan personality of herself among her sisters to springiness america a glimpse of who they are beyond these 4 walls. For Kate and Christina, this comes successful nan shape of calls to their husbands and children. For Rachel, it's a locomotion done her neighborhood, wherever her grin comes retired of hibernation and her crap talk is understood arsenic affection. It's a domiciled Lyonne was calved to play.

Olsen's domiciled mightiness person been nan 1 complete shadowed, arsenic Christina is nan gentlest of nan three, fixed nan slightest cutting dialogue. However, Olsen weaves a nuance into nan youngest sibling, whose breeziness is simply a twinkling but bladed façade. "Just because I don't kick doesn't mean I don't person issues," Christina asserts successful a difficult moment. And conscionable for illustration that, nan agleam babe sister is fixed extent that reaches into her emotion of jam bands, her prime to unrecorded crossed nan country, and her unflappable warmth successful nan look of their father's death.

There's nary 1 measurement to grieve, and His Three Daughters puts respective — each heart-wrenching and all-too-familiar — connected display.

His Three Daughters rejects treacle and calamity porn successful favour of giving decease immoderate dignity.

Perhaps 1 of nan astir compelling choices Jacobs makes (outside of casting), is keeping audiences retired of nan room of nan daughters' father, Vincent (Jay O. Sanders). The camera will ne'er peek done nan doorway aliases transverse nan threshold. The movie is not truthful overmuch astir their father, but astir really they spot him, and what bequest he leaves down successful nan "three crazy bitches" he raised — arsenic Rachel puts it pinch a crooked grin.

By keeping america retired of that room, Jacobs rejects making a spectacle of dying and gives nan begetter and his daughters a backstage life extracurricular nan film. Still, we spot plentifulness of who they are done really they're coping. Katie needs a task to transmission her tense energy, moreover if that intends targeting Rachel unjustly. Rachel is heavy successful avoidance, doing each she tin to look distant from nan inevitable. Christina is endlessly seeking positivity, to nan constituent of proving toxic to her siblings. Even Benji gets a showcase of grieving, delivering a reside astir who Vincent was to him. It's an oration truthful afloat of righteous rage and nan symptom of nonaccomplishment that it rattles moreover Kate and Christina from their poses of composure — and could make Adepo a acheronian equine Best Supporting Actor contender. (He's sensational successful this mini but blistering role.)

I've written before astir really grief is an ugly business. It's sadistic and unfair and tin origin america to lash retired cruelly and unfairly. Three Daughters neatly puts specified concatenation reactions connected show while avoiding making a ghoulish repast of its characters' pain. The halfway of nan movie is grief, but its intent it to show really 3 sisters were capable to rediscover each different done this grim moment. It's a motherfucker, but condolences tin thatch america who we are, not conscionable arsenic individuals, but besides to 1 another.

In a tightly written play binding america to a humble location and an imminent death, Jacobs and his formed unfurl a powerful communicative of emotion and nonaccomplishment that is yet hopeful. While a third-act formation of imagination whitethorn beryllium polarizing — arguably breaking from nan remainder of nan film's logic — for me, it deepened nan consciousness of absence, giving audiences a grander knowing of who nan eponymous heroines suffer erstwhile they suffer Vincent.

His Three Daughters is simply a elemental but elegant play that grapples pinch nan ugliness of condolences and comes retired pinch arsenic happy an ending arsenic a shattering decease mightiness bring. It's chaotic, charismatic, and yet cathartic. Don't miss it.

His Three Daughters is successful now playing connected Netflix.

UPDATE: Sep. 5, 2024, 2:24 p.m. EDT "His Three Daughters" was reviewed retired of its world premiere astatine nan 2023 Toronto International Film Festival successful this article, primitively published connected Sept. 9, 2023. This reappraisal has been updated to see accusation astir nan film's streaming release.

This newsletter whitethorn incorporate advertising, deals, aliases connection links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You whitethorn unsubscribe from nan newsletters astatine immoderate time.