His Three Daughters, about a trio of sisters who have gathered in their father’s apartment while he’s on hospice, explodes out of the gate with three actors at the top of their game: Carrie Coon as controlling sister Katie, yammering on with intentions and instructions; Elizabeth Olsen as placating sister Christina, trying to keep up and keep the peace; and stoned sister Rachel (Natasha Lyonne) looking stunned. (“I’m just trying to maintain,” Rachel says at one point, while one of her eyebrows stages a revolt on her forehead.) Unfortunately, as nuanced as writer-director Azazel Jacobs’ script is about sibling relationships and impending morality, it never allows this cast to break out of these types that are established in the opening scene. The rest of the film certainly has its merits—Jovan Adepo is especially good in a few brief scenes as Rachel’s blunt boyfriend—but the leads are ultimately hemmed in by the narrative, while a fuzzy finale blurs reality and fantasy in an unsatisfying way.
(10/24/2024)
