Death often brings out the worst in people, and not just from the dying. Old grudges are brought back to the fore, and people tend to reveal themselves and their true intentions when a loved one is on the verge of crossing over. His Three Daughters takes this idea, and writer-director Azazel Jacobs runs with it to create a deeply empathetic portrait of longstanding trauma, resentment, love, and sisterhood. It’s the kind of film which presents as simple in concept but has many moving things to say, featuring characters who feel real and imperfect because of the grounded performances from the lead actresses.

Whenever a film is constrained to mostly one location, features a small cast, and is mostly full of dialogue and the occasional monologue, it’s almost inevitable to be compared to a stage play. While I do think a version of His Three Daughters could some day exist on the stage, Jacobs makes the case for its existence as it is through engaging camera work that keeps us trained on the interiority of the characters. The film is a kind of chamber piece, focused on sisters Katie (Carrie Coon), Rachel (Natasha Lyonne), and Christina (Elizabeth Olsen), as they gather together in their father Vincent’s (Jay O. Sanders) final days before dying in in-home hospice care.

Anyone who has lost a parent or loved one through an extended, interminable period – with or without someone else nearby to help – will surely recognize the various struggles that come with the process. Jacobs clearly establishes, from the film’s opening moments, who each character is, their perceived role in their father’s death, and their relationship to each other. Katie is the uptight, type-A personality who takes charge of getting everything organized. She spends most of the film worrying about how they can get a Do Not Resuscitate order signed when their father is barely conscious most of the time. Christina comes from across the country, a young mother to her own daughter who simply tries to keep the peace as everyone comes to terms with the inevitable. Rachel appears as the aloof, carefree one, more prone to go outside to smoke a joint than venture in to her father’s room.

If nothing else, His Three Daughters serves as a powerhouse showcase for three immensely talented actresses. Coon sells Katie’s tightly-wound world right off the bat through her mile-a-minute cadence as she rattles off a laundry list of things to take care of. Most of the film’s tension comes between her and Rachel, as she struggles to grasp Rachel’s lifestyle and what she perceives as unhelpfulness. But Rachel has built up an almost impenetrable wall, which only breaks down when her sisters aren’t around. Lyonne is a natural at using sarcasm and humor to deflect any criticisms, and it’s mostly how Rachel reacts to confrontations with Katie. If anyone’s character is underserved, it’s Olsen’s, but she’s such a capable performer that she makes the most out of minimal material.

Critically, Jacobs doesn’t show the girls’ father until the climax, instead allowing his impact to be felt through their relationships with each other, and the lengths they go to to ensure his final comforts. It can be easy for a film dealing with this subject matter to make grand statements, or have its characters go through wild swings of emotions, but His Three Daughters evolves naturally. There are expected beats, but the characters’ progressions aren’t steady slopes. Even the exposition is handled in a way that informs the characters and the stakes of any given moment. Jacobs makes these characters feel real, like they’ve always existed outside the events of the film. Whether you watch ten movies per year or a thousand, you’ll realize how special and rare that is.

His Three Daughters will have a limited theatrical run beginning on September 6, and will be available to stream on Netflix on September 20.

OSCAR POTENTIAL:

• If Netflix was smart, they would campaign hard for Jacobs’ original screenplay above anything.
• With ensemble films like this, it’s nearly impossible for the Academy to pick one performer to nominate, and the result is often a complete lack of nominees (see both of the Knives Out films, and Women Talking). I’ve heard that Netflix will be pushing Lyonne above anyone else, and while I don’t disagree, I still think it’s a losing bet.
• Indeed, Netflix now has a more stacked lineup than they did one or two months ago, after recent festival acquisitions. Which means a smaller film, which premiered (to great acclaim) at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, will likely get forgotten amongst its newer, buzzier titles.