Plot

This tense, touching and funny portrait of family dynamics follows three estranged sisters as they converge in a New York apartment to care for their ailing father and try to mend their own broken relationship with one another.

From writer-director Azazel Jacobs (French Exit, The Lovers) comes this bittersweet and often funny story of an elderly patriarch and the three grown daughters who come to be with him in his final days. Katie is a controlling Brooklyn mother dealing with a wayward teenage daughter; free-spirited Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) is a different kind of mom, separated from her offspring for the first time; and Rachel (Natasha Lyonne) is a sports-betting stoner who has never left her father's apartment - much to the chagrin of her step-sisters, who share a different worldview. Continuing his astute exploration of family dynamics in close-knit spaces, Jacobs follows the siblings over the course of three volatile days, as death looms, grievances erupt, and love seeps through the cracks of a fractured home.

Three sisters come together to be near their bedridden and dying father in his last days. While they are closeted together in an apartment for a few days they argue and quarrel over forgotten events of the past but they also make up and apologize soon afterwards resulting in a much needed healing of their relationship.—Madan Marwah

His Three Daughters is a 2023 family drama written and directed by Azazel Jacobs. The film stars Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Coon, and Elizabeth Olsen as three sisters who reunite in a cramped New York City apartment to care for their terminally ill father. As they confront the realities of their father's imminent death, they also face unresolved issues and hidden tensions in their own relationships with each other. Through close-quarters living and intimate conversations, the film explores themes of grief, familial responsibility, and the complexities of sibling bonds.

The story begins with the three sisters, Katie (Natasha Lyonne), Christina (Carrie Coon), and Rachel (Elizabeth Olsen), gathering at their father's apartment to be by his side during his final days. Each sister comes with her own perspective and baggage, shaped by their unique relationships with their father and their individual life paths. Katie, the eldest, is pragmatic and has a sense of duty, feeling responsible for organizing and managing the situation. Christina, the middle child, is more emotionally detached and struggles with unresolved anger towards their father. Rachel, the youngest, is compassionate and eager to connect but is also overwhelmed by the emotional weight of the situation.

As the days go by, the sisters grapple with the stark realities of caregiving, as well as with their personal and shared histories. They delve into past memories, confront old wounds, and address longstanding resentments. The apartment becomes a kind of pressure cooker where unresolved conflicts are brought to the surface. Their father's presence, although mostly silent, acts as a catalyst that forces each sister to confront both their love and their frustrations with him.

Through candid conversations, arguments, and moments of vulnerability, the sisters begin to understand each other on a deeper level. Katie's sense of duty and resilience is tested, Christina's guarded exterior reveals hidden pain, and Rachel's idealism is tempered by the reality of her family's complexities. As they navigate this difficult time, they find unexpected moments of connection and healing, not only with each other but also within themselves.

The film's storytelling style is intimate and character-driven, capturing the raw emotions and the nuances of familial relationships. His Three Daughters is ultimately a moving exploration of family, forgiveness, and the ways in which we navigate the inevitability of loss. The performances by Lyonne, Coon, and Olsen bring depth and authenticity to their roles, portraying the complex, often contradictory emotions that arise when dealing with grief and the bonds of sisterhood. Through its focus on family dynamics and personal growth, the film offers a poignant look at how love, conflict, and resilience shape our lives and relationships.