New Netflix movie His Three Daughters is the gentle reminder you might need to go and hug your sibling as this emotional masterpiece perfectly captures an often universal experience: complex family dynamics and impending grief.
His Three Daughters was met with high praise after it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2023. It later went on to be released in theaters on September 6, 2024, and – following the release of the highly emotional trailer – has since become one of the best Netflix movies with its 98% Rotten Tomatoes score after it landed on the best streaming service on September 20.
Azazel Jacobs' new film His Three Daughters follows three estranged sisters who come together in a cramped New York apartment to care for their ailing father during his last days of life. I don't think I blinked during the opening scene, where we are introduced to sisters Katie (Carrie Coon), Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) and Rachel (Natasha Lyonne). The camera remains close as Katie delivers rapid-fire dialogue, almost like a monologue. In the tense scene, she's requesting a do-not-resuscitate order for her dying father Vincent (Jay O. Sanders).
Christina then offloads her emotional turmoil of seeing her terminally ill father open his eyes and being away from her young daughter Mirabella for the first time. Next, she turns her attention to Rachel, who is seemingly checked out from the whole conversation and high on "top-shelf" weed.
His Three Strangers
Coon, Lyonne, and Olsen put on scene-stealing performances as the three daughters, all with strikingly different personalities. Katie, who lives nearby but has been largely absent during her father's illness, is hostile and desperate for order. Meanwhile, down-to-earth stepsister Rachel, still lives with their father and has been caring for him through his agonizing decline. Katie is judgemental of Rachel smoking weed in the house and gambling on sports, with the pair constantly clawing for a fight.
Then there's Christina, the youngest of the three daughters, who tries to restore calm and order in the house. She's a former free-spirit whose sole focus is now motherhood, and masks her troubles behind her whimsical, wide-eyed disposition.
Confined in a small New York apartment, the three sisters are incredibly isolated as they wait for the inevitable dread of their dad passing away, all while trying to confront their fractured relationship together. But what unites them in their separation is their father's rhythmic heartbeat sounding out from the next room, somewhat serving as a figurative lifeline that keeps the three women together.
While Katie, Christine and Rachel struggle to face the grief of losing a parent, with their differing opinions often causing divide or uniting them, their emotional battles are sometimes interrupted by a palliative care nurse, hospice worker Angel (Rudy Galvan), and Rachel's boyfriend Benjy (Jovan Adepo).
It might sound surprising, but I enjoyed watching the sisters argue as during these scenes they gradually shared more of their personal struggles with each other where these newfound feelings of empathy build a bridge to healing their special but complex bond. There's an especially poignant moment where their father makes a surprise appearance after mostly being unseen throughout the film, which helps carry the sisterhood that will continue after their father’s death.
The ending sees the sisters share a special moment of connection, finally united in their grief as Christine sings a nursery rhyme, while Rachel adds a dark humorous twist to the lyrics. The trio share a melancholy laugh as they prepare for their next chapter in life, something that's bittersweet rather than morbid.
His Three Daughters is powerful as it shows the joy and pain of relationships in all its forms and is a realistic portrait of grief that’s carried by three show-stopping lead performances – now, off I go to hug my brother.
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