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It’s that time of year again when theNetflixsubscription you’ve been close to canceling finally seems worth it. In recent years, Netflix has established a business model in which they release a few ‘prestige’ dramas yearly, with little press. So, they sit there on the menu, collecting dust. It’s tragic because Netflix’s latest,His Three Daughters, deserves so much more than that.His Three Daughtersis an excellent examination of the bonds of sisterhood, the things left unsaid, and the things that can go on being unsaid.
Movies that exploredeath and griefare hard to pull off. A delicate subject requires a light touch, something that communicates the individuality of grief but also how it can unify.His Three Daughtersbrings together three achingly human performances with a self-awareness of behavior that elevates the material beyond a simple cry fest.His Three Daughtersdoesn’t want toexplore what it’s like to dieor what anything is like. That would defeat the purpose.
WithHis Three Daughters, to explore grief is to explore absence and the many forms it can take. With absence comes a silence that some movies would assume needs to be filled.His Three Daughtersstays in the uncomfortable silences of familiarity that show family dynamics not as what they could be but what they are. Why should you watchHis Three Daughters? What makes the performances so powerful? How does it explore its themes? Here’s what you need to know.
His Three Daughters Under One Roof
His Three Daughters
His Three Daughters is a 2023 drama film directed by Azazel Jacobs. The story centers on three sisters, portrayed by Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne, who reunite in their childhood home to care for their terminally ill father. As they navigate the emotional complexities of their father’s final days, the sisters confront unresolved issues and deep-seated family tensions. The film explores themes of sisterhood, forgiveness, and the intricate dynamics of familial relationships.
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What do you do if the person you are making small talk with is your sister? And what do you do if she is too close to you on paper to be making small talk with?His Three Daughtersforces you into this place and makes you soak up the unfortunate awkwardness with a knowing hold on its character’s stock character types.His Three Daughtersmakes it clear which sister is which personality type, and at the start, it seems there won’t be any change. They see through each other’s thinly veiled attempts at coping withtheir father’s state, but they are so wrapped up in them that they can’t reach each other.
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As the sisters begin to face each other,His Three Daughterscarefully peels back the layers of what we know about their supposed archetypes to add the necessary context. This doesn’t happen overnight, and there is no end destination in mind. It’s just three sisters trying to find something in common. The movie’s pacing of these confrontations builds tension and lets us see how one sister might underestimate the other. Characterization is always the aim, andHis Three Daughtersknows when to give its audience glimpses into who they are as sisters and individuals.
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Family dynamics can be challengingto portray on screen, butHis Three Daughtersfinds a way to do so without sacrificing or villainizing any of them.His Three Daughtersgrants the room needed to see what makes these women and what comforts they seek and tells us all we need to know about who they are.
So when they are all in the same room, we know who they would rather be talking to. It creates a vividly painful depiction of family bonds that are only there because of the family part. The movie isn’t concerned with putting its characters in pointlessly confronting situations for the sake of it.Just as we see how each sister processes grief, we are given a peak into the pastand the suggestion that this is how they have always been with each other and on their own.
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Thetrio of Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, and Carrie Coon hold the movie together.His Three Daughtersis a play inside and around their father’s apartment, and their dynamics are beautifully realized. Focusing on their reactions and how quickly they respond to each other demonstrates fractured relationships. Things like the inflections that suggest sarcasm or glances to the side are uncanny, and the three actresses work wonderfully together.
The Themes of His Three Daughters
Director and writer Azazel Jacobs utilizes techniques like singular framing to isolate the sisters as they attempt to find time to isolate themselves. Jacobs spends the beginning visually separating the siblings, slowly bringing them closer in the shot as they try and come closer as people. Translating something as messy as sisterhood into a directing style can risk over-complicating the core simplicity of the movie.Jacobs' camera only lurks when they are on their own and feels more inquisitive than judgmental when we see the three sisters failing to connect.
Themes of love are also not over-complicated. There aren’t any big ideas put forward about what death means.His Three Daughterswants to explore the encompassing act of love but doesn’t want to tell you that’s what love has to be. Similar to its understated view of life, love is the answer but not necessarily the instant cure. All we can hope for is that these three women realize they don’t have to be how they think they should be and that family structures are as fluid as the people that make them.
Netflix’sHis Three Daughtersembraces the unexplainable, finding comfort in the mess and catharsis in continuation. It’s a drama with a lot on its mind anda minimal way of showingit. It’s rare to find a family drama like this that resists the temptation to over-indulge or find the reasoning in behavior. A lot of the time, it is what it is, andHis Three Daughtersshows us that you don’t have to say anything huge to your sister or declare your love for her. Sometimes, a look is all it takes. A look can be enough.His Three Daughtersis streaming onNetflixnow.
