“His Three Daughters is a bittersweet and reflective journey about complex relationships between siblings. It’s a fantastic acting showcase for Olsen, Lyonne and Coon’s talents. They deserve Oscar recognition.”
Writer-director Azazel Jacobs known for French Exit and The Lovers returns a new film His Three Daughters starring Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon and Natasha Lyonne. It releases globally on Netflix September 20.
A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY
His Three Daughters tells the story of three sisters coming together to watch over their father during his final days. Obviously, this is a film that hits hard with the feels, it’s a serious topic. However, it’s also something warm as a throw blanket. Indeed, it’s not a film that will make you cry for hours, it’s actually a film that will comfort you. Its depiction of family as a whole is so authentic that anyone can relate to these characters whether you have siblings or not. This is exactly what family is like. It will definitely make you think about your own family watching this film. Families are never perfect, they’re flawed. And this film explores the flaws of this family.
These three sisters have a complex relationship, they struggle to get along. Thus being together under the same roof is problematic for them. But, it also forces them to confront their problems and reflect on their lives. His Three Daughters is a bittersweet journey in which each of these three characters grow on you as the story progresses. They come here for their father but we barely see him, the point of the story is about them and their relationship as siblings. Azazel Jacobs makes all the right choices as a filmmaker to tell the most impactful story. He knows when to show on screen each character and what their presence means for the scene. It’s all about character analysis. As such, dialogue also plays an essential role. Everything said has a meaning.
AN ACTING SHOWCASE
Undoubtedly, this film is a fantastic acting showcase for Elizabeth Olsen, Natasha Lyonne and Carrie Coon’s talents. They are at their emotional best and deliver heartfelt performances. They are fully immersed in their respective roles. This is what you call acting. It’s a film that relies on the performances of its leads and Jacobs really found the right actresses for the job. Watching them you believe they’re sisters in this film. Olsen, Lyonne and Coon truly deserve Oscar recognition.
VISUALS AND SOUNDTRACK
Moreover, Azazel Jacobs has made the choice to keep the music in this film to the minimum. It’s mostly a film without music. It’s a choice that I would generally disagree with because music plays an essential role in films. But here, I do think it’s the smart choice. Since this film relies on the performances of its actresses and what they’re saying, it allows you to just focus on the dialogue. There is nothing else to distract you.
Because the story is about these three sisters coming together to watch over their dying father, everything takes place in their father’s apartment with some scenes also taking place just outside the building. It keeps things intimate bringing you closer to the characters and their struggles. There is nothing superfluous, you see exactly what you need to see.
VERDICT
His Three Daughters is a bittersweet and reflective journey about complex relationships between siblings. It’s a fantastic acting showcase for Olsen, Lyonne and Coon’s talents. They deserve Oscar recognition.
His Three Daughters releases on Netflix September 20.
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