TORONTO – We’re not sure writer and director Azazel Jacobs needed a comeback after 2020’s disappointing “French Exit,” but we’re delighted to report he’s delivered another exquisite drama with his latest endeavor, “His Three Daughters.” Debuting at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, ‘Daughters’ follows three siblings as they come to grips with the impending death of their father. And, as in any family, tension abounds.
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With their father entering hospice care, Katie (Carrie Coon), the oldest, and Christina (Elisabeth Olsen), the youngest, have made their way to Manhattan to crash at his apartment for his final hours. Their sister-by-marriage, Rachel (Natasha Lyonne), a perpetual slacker in Katie’s eyes, has been caring for their father for years but almost immediately scurries away to her room after everyone’s arrival. She’s looking to avoid drama, which seems inevitable with the judgmental and controlling Katie bullying her way onto the premises. Oh yes, resentment is everywhere. Katie resents the fact Rachel is on the lease for the apartment (she’ll inherit it after his death) while Rachel wonders why Katie hasn’t seen their Dad in months (she literally lives across the river in Brooklyn). And Christina? She’s keeping a brave face, privately struggling as a young mom while under pressure to have more children from her husband. She lives on the other side of the country, so out of sight, out of mind, right?
It becomes abundantly clear the only thing the three sisters can bond over is their shared frustration with the assigned hospice coordinator (Rudy Galvan). He appears once a day to continually talk in circles, not willing to commit to a timeframe for when their Dad might pass away, but also making it sound imminent. And, despite weeks of warnings, these sisters may not be emotionally ready to say goodbye. These factors only add more tension for everyone inhabiting the two-bedroom apartment.
As the days pass, the three sisters become pricklier with each other, refusing to communicate their true feelings. Things come to a head when Katie is embarrassingly disrespectful of Rachel’s good friend Benjy (a fantastic Jovan Adepo). He, on the other hand, has actually spent more time with their Dad than either of his other two daughters and lets his feelings be known. He’s not going to let Rachel be judged in this manner. It’s a pivotal point in the film that might knock some sense into an aghast, pearls-grabbing Katie.
Death is inevitable, and there is no miracle, tear-jerker ending. But you know that already. The question is whether the sisterly bonds Jacobs is exploring were ever real. And, if so, will they endure past this pivotal moment in the lives of these three very different women?
What’s most remarkable about “His Three Daughters” aren’t the performances. As you’d suspect, Coon, Moss, and Lyonne complement each other perfectly (although we should note this is without question the best work of Lyonne’s career). It’s the fact that Jacobs and cinematographer Sam Levy have crafted a drama that takes place almost entirely in one enclosed space and somehow avoided the dreaded claustrophobic aesthetic that makes one feel like they are watching a filmed play (there are too many examples of this to count). Considering it was shot in a real apartment, that’s even more admirable. There are no set walls to remove. No fancy lighting setups. Often, the characters are just bathed in the natural light from the living room windows as they wait for the inevitable. Oh, and did we mention the pair pulled this off with the camera never entering their father’s room either? Impressive stuff. [A-]
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