Suberbly written, acted and directed His Three Daughters is intimate, human and beautiful.
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Netflix movies are a wild mixed bag. On one side, the streaming platform has become infamous for putting hundreds of millions of dollars behind the latest Russo brothers mess while not giving a critically acclaimed series another season. On the other side, Netflix also offers a lot of creative opportunities for limited animated series runs and a bunch of indie movies that might not hit a massive audience. His Three Daughters definitely hits the second category thanks to a cast of well known/in-demand actors and a premise that's not theater run friendly. Though I think this movie should've hit theaters because it's an absolute gem.
The Setup
Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen play three sisters who are going through a difficult period in their lives. Their father is receiving hospice care and will pass away in the next few days. Now on top of each other in a cramped apartment, the sisters begin clashing over grievances old and new as the reality of their father's passing takes hold. Can they find a way to connect in the midst of grief?
His Three Daughters feels like a play that was adapted into a movie (in a good way). The first reason is the limited number of locations. The action in the movie takes place in two main locations: the apartment where the titular daughters' father lives and the apartment complex's courtyard where Natasha Lyonne's Rachel goes to smoke weed and relax. The second reason is that the movie is counting on the script and its performers to bring this story to life. And they're both fantastic.
The thing I like the most about this script is how it weaves in exposition through conversation. We don't get a sit down with every sister to know their background or explain the tensions between them, they come up naturally in conversation or due to the sister's disparate personalities.
As an example, Carrie Coon's Katie spends a lot of the early film complaining about Lyonne's Rachel to Elizabeth Olsen's Christina by pointing out what's in the fridge and how she's allegedly behaving very irresponsibly. Great back story to explain the tension and one that's also used a reference point in multiple arguments as the movie progresses.
As an example, Carrie Coon's Katie spends a lot of the early film complaining about Lyonne's Rachel to Elizabeth Olsen's Christina by pointing out what's in the fridge and how she's allegedly behaving very irresponsibly. Great back story to explain the tension and one that's also used a reference point in multiple arguments as the movie progresses.
And each of our sisters are a near-perfect merger of actor and script. Lyonne is definitely playing to type as an alleged n'er do well who is really trying to protect herself or avoid coping with her father's decline (one that she's been viewing up close because she's been living with him the whole time). There's a lot she's not saying or doing when we first meet her so even something as simple as entering a certain room carries weight with her.
Coon's Katie is a type of person we all know very well. She's someone who critiques everything in sight due to a combination of insecurity and also feeling out of control. Not that she can admit that to herself. So instead she fixates on important tasks so she feel like she's done something or that she knows she's done everything she can. So her journey is watching those aggressive walls she's built up come down.
And finally we have Elizabeth Olsen's Christina, whom I love. The character. The performance. Everything. Is it because I relate to her? Yes 100 percent and also because this is the kind of character that can really shine in movies like this.
Christina is the hardest daughter to get a read on. Because while her sisters are clearly demonstrating how they feel with their publicly observable behavior, Christina seems to keep everything close and avoids the giant emotional swings we see in her sisters. So while she gets along a bit easier with Katie, Katie's persistent negativity is clearly a lot for her. Likewise because she doesn't have these outbursts, Katie and Rachel assume Christina is fine and doesn't need support. But she obviously does. She's a human. So it's when she has moments alone that we feel/see everything wash over her.
In a lot of movies, a character like this doing yoga early in the morning could be viewed as either dedication to a fitness routine or cringey. But for her it is clearly emotionally cleansing. Especially after we've seen her use breathing techniques to calm herself down. She's the family's emotional anchor, but that doesn't mean she's without emotion.
And now we combine this very grounded trio of characters into an emotionally fraught situation and let it play out. What's amazing is that despite seeming to be about grief and loss, which it is, the movie is also about how grief and loss has the potential to bring people together. Either through sharing, finally opening up, or wanting to take greater stock of the family you have.
In short, it's a beautiful story that is wonderfully brought to life by three performers who are perfectly suited to their characters and direction that is effective (i.e. I love the shot selection when Christina is calming herself down on the other side of a wall), but never intrusive.
The Verdict: Lovely
Suberbly written, acted and directed His Three Daughters is intimate, human and beautiful. 9/10
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