His Three Daughters ★★★

Grief begins before the loss of a loved one who is terminally ill. There are preparations that must be done, forms that must be signed, and family must be assembled and waiting for when the time comes. 

Katie (Carrie Coon), Rachel (Natasha Lyonne), and Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) stay at their father’s New York City apartment as their father Vincent (Jay O. Sanders) approaches his final days with cancer. Rachel had lived with Vincent throughout his illness while Katie and Christina had recently arrived after Vincent entered hospice care.

His Three Daughters first introduces us to Katie who is firm in tone when speaking and gives off an icy demeanor. She is upset Rachel did not have their father sign the do not resuscitate form when he was lucid. Christina is more mild-mannered, though expressive (and honestly not to a fault). She is more forthcoming in speaking about her personal life than her sisters. Rachel is shown to be a stoner and has a liking to parlay gambling, and seems to be taking their father’s illness the hardest. Katie and to some extent Christina are critical of her and look down on her. Katie regards Rachel as different from her and Christina since Vincent is Rachel’s stepfather while being her and Christina’s biological father.

Since Katie and Christina have arrived, Rachel is resistant to being alone with Vincent given the progression of his disease and that it hurts for her to see him worsening. Spending time with her sisters, the three enter into arguments routinely and can’t seem to get along. Katie has immense prejudice towards Rachel, criticizing the contents of the apartment’s fridge – three bags of apples – only for Rachel to tell her later that the apples were the only food that she could get Vincent to eat. Despite realizing her harsh and unjust attitude towards Rachel, Katie is reluctant to get along. Christina acts as a mediator, but another misinterpretation even distances her from her two sisters. Dialogue in His Three Daughters is snappy and hurtful in a way that only families seem to reserve for each other, knowing each other’s vulnerabilities.

Offscreen for most of the film, Vincent is shown to be aware that he is dying and knows about the squabbles that are occurring between the sisters. Director Azazel Jacobs provides Vincent with more agency than typically provided to portrayals of the terminally ill in film. Throughout His Three Daughters, we learn more about Vincent. Like many New Yorkers, Vincent is an avid Jets fan and his love for New York City is only surpassed by his love for his family. He, of course, does not consider Rachel as anything less than a daughter and we can tell that he is frustrated by the arguments his daughters are having. Close to his death, he knows their bickering is pointless and it would benefit everyone if they not only could get along, but could love each other. Vincent is portrayed as a very sweet and loving father and his few moments onscreen are immense.

The three women and their personal challenges central to His Three Daughters recall Cries and Whispers in a contemporary and New York City-centric way. The film provides an example to film students on how to direct a film with limited settings – only two – and a handful of characters. There’s much to admire in Jacobs’ film and audiences will find its portrayal of grief and the challenges the three sisters face in this pivotal time in their family to be thoughtful and sincere. Sharing Vincent’s apartment in his final days, the sisters are challenged by their differences, though perhaps their shared experience of grief will allow them to reconcile.