Last Updated on September 21, 2024 by
His Three Daughters is a 2023 drama Movie Directed by Azazel Jacobs. The film stars Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, and Carrie Coon with a runtime of 1h 41m, and was released on September 20, 2024.
While you can love your family, it is not always possible to like them at all times. But hey, just because two of you are distantly related doesn’t necessarily mean that you share common interests and goals.
In His Three Daughters, three sisters are different in character and personality; they are reunited because of their father’s sickness. Katie, who is played by Carrie Coon, is the kind of person who is serious, strict, and obsessed with perfection. She is the manipulative one who wants to dominate, enjoys her wine, and has no problem making snide remarks. Christina, the second born and an intelligent, assertive, and passive peacemaker as portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen. She also has been a fan of the Grateful Dead (a famous rock group), which her sisters did not like. Rachel, the youngest of the three, is portrayed by Natasha Lyonne, and she does not resemble the other members of the group in any way. She remains living with her parents, enjoys marijuana, and earns her income through football betting. These three women have very little in common. The only thing that binds them together is their father, Vincent (Jay O. Sanders), who is now on his deathbed. He’s getting hospice (which is end-of-life care) in the NYC apartment where they all were raised. While Katie has driven from Brooklyn carrying this suitcase, Christina flew over from another state and Rachel has been home caregiving to their dad.
They are both preparing for their father’s death, however, they are forced to spend time together in a small room that has a roller-skating theme reminiscent of the past. This leads to quarrels, holding grudges, and opening up all the family problems that were put under the carpet. Both sisters are still coping with their father’s death and it looks as if the pressure is beginning to mount. Shortly, by interfering this way and that, it seems like they are all going to burst with the tension. Had it been in the hands of less competent writers and directors, this could have been just another drama series focusing on family squabbles.
However, director Azazel Jacobs gets something more profound and passionate out of the two. His work shows how people can offend others and even if they did not intend it affects the family and can both harm and make you whole. This, though all three lead actors – Coon, Olsen, and Lyonne – are amazing in expressing the strained dynamics and multifaceted feelings between the sisters. Katie, the eldest, sometimes complains about having to do all the work. Getting to the father’s medical records, she becomes extremely annoyed that someone failed to do it correctly. Her character is rough hewn and unforgiving: a sheet metal, however, as the story unfolds, it emerges that this woman is aching, hurting inside. Taylor fights with her sister’s vulgar words while Christina does her best to control her temper even if her sisters annoy her. All she wants is a friendship between two people, but there is more to her character.
Her non-chalant personality is therefore a defense mechanism against the rising tension within the family. In one passage, she talks about her fondness of the Grateful Dead community she says it is a group of people who watch out for each other because there is no one else who will. It is quite a tender scene that delivers more about why she is so keen on peace.
Rachel is quite a reserved character in the show; she hardly utters any line at the beginning of the series. Giving her sisters such strong personalities and making her the only girl in the house is too much for Sophia to handle. Rather than being involved in the family play, she decides to opt out and turn to marijuana to dull the pain. As it gradually unfolds throughout the film, it becomes clear that she is the one to be scared most since she is losing her father. In this case, the show has depicted Natasha Lyonne as fragile, although she has been portraying sarcastic and unyielding characters most of the time.
In my opinion, she contributes many layers to Rachel thereby transforming her into a character that is not just a stereotyped marijuana-smoking girl. The only other two characters in the story are Victor, a personal security of the building where the two sisters reside and Angel, a nurse taking care of the sick father of the two sisters but the movie mainly focuses on the two sisters only. One unique aspect of this movie, which I think is important to address, is how the two sisters grieve. First, we experience all of them in one scene and that is why all of them are left with a single feeling.
Even though they share the same house Maureen and her father are two different people, and this shows that they handle the death of their father shortly differently. It also incorporates scenes devoid of any sound or action to allow the viewers to focus on the actors. For instance, if there is a scene in which her sisters are fighting and Rachel is sitting alone, the camera will close in on her. Once more she remains silent but the expressions on her face are indicative of her feelings. Thus, the manner of filming adds yet another layer to His Three Daughters and transforms it from a straightforward family drama into an exploration of grief and loss.
His Three Daughters is not a typical film that can be described as a drama about three sisters quarreling in the apartment. It is about how everyone copes with loss and how families function or don’t function in some cases. Coon, Olsen, and Lyonne all deliver striking performances and the portrayal of the show’s main characters is very convincing.
 If you are a fan of films that show characters with deep, powerful feelings and situations that bring their childhood traumas back to life – this movie is perfect for you. It is not just about the grief of having lost a parent, it is also about the conflict, affection, and annoyance that comes with being related to a family.
His Three Daughters Parents Guide Age Rating
His Three Daughters is rated R by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for language and drug use.
