Title – His Three Daughters (2023) 

Director – Azazel Jacobs (French Exit)

Cast – Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen 

Plot – With their father on his deathbed, estranged sisters Katie (Coon), Rachel (Lyonne) and Christina (Olsen) gather together in their family home to be there for their dad and each other with old and fresh wounds opening up as they learn to cope with the life changing event.  

“It’s nice you’re all here at a time like this”

Review by Eddie on 25/11/2024 

While the nature of it’s goals and delivery means that the Netflix released His Three Daughters is never going to compete with the services big-scale originals like Damsel, Atlas or (shivers down the spine) Rebel Moon, this impeccably acted and quietly powerful character driven drama is the exact type of worthy original offering Netflix would do well to support in the future. 

An acting showcase for its lead trio Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen, Daughters is filmmaker Azazel Jacobs’s most noteworthy feature film yet after some wins in the TV space with Sorry for Your Loss and Mozart in the Jungle, as he and his talented core cast explore the relationship between three sisters forced to confront their pasts and futures back in their childhood home as their father grows ever closer to death in his hospice care phase. 

There’s little doubt that the set-up at the core of Daughters is a familiar one to anyone who’s ever consumed such dramatic explorations in the film space over the course of history but this intimately set tale, that takes place entirely within the walls of the family apartment or just outside in the cold surrounds of the complexes courtyard, is one that manages to transcend its small-scale launch pad to work off the back of a relatable script that brings to life three varied and interesting characters to great effect. 

In Coon’s fast-talking and bossy Katie, Lyonne’s care-free and stunted Rachel and Olsen’s more family orientated Christina the film has a vast array of character beats to explore and delve into and while not every interaction between the sisters hits grand heights, when they do manage to hit significant chords, Daughter’s becomes one of the years most humanistic and raw offerings, sure to attract the attention of awards voters in the silly season soon to hit. 

With the talents of Coon and Olsen a well known commodity over a number of years it’s Orange is the New Black and Poker Face’s Lyonne that leaves the biggest impression here, in a turn that could see her become a major force in supporting categories across the awards period heading our way. 

Her turn as Rachel is a humorous and heartfelt one and watching Lyonne work off Coon and Olsen is a genuine pleasure and as the film heads towards its powerful climatic scene, Lyonne leaves us with a strong and lasting impression that we have just seen a performer reach the peak of her current powers. 

Potentially too slow-moving and restrained for the more casual of streaming viewers, for anyone seeking out a quality piece of streaming content, Daughters is a cut above the rest despite it never achieving any grand cinematic heights. 

Final Say – 

Providing a wonderful chance to watch some of the industries most talented actresses work with and off one another, His Three Daughters is an above average drama that’s sure to play a part in some major awards conversations. 

3 1/2 watch shifts out of 5