His Three Daughters review – exquisitely judged New York sibling drama | Movies

Their father, Vincent, is dying. And this, perhaps, is the only thing that estranged sisters Rachel (Natasha Lyonne), Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) and Katie (Carrie Coon) can agree upon. Flung together in the Manhattan apartment where Vincent (Jay O Sanders) lived, with Rachel on hand as his carer and companion, the women’s long-submerged tensions bubble to the surface.

Written and directed by Azazel Jacobs – who, as his 2008 breakthrough success Momma’s Man demonstrated, has a knack for raw, perceptive explorations of New York family dynamics – His Three Daughters is sublime in its simplicity and elegance; exquisitely judged in its balance between tragedy and comedy. It’s shot almost entirely in the claustrophobic single location of the apartment: Rachel gets to venture outside to a bench, but only because Katie takes issue with her “top shelf” weed habit.

This is subtle, unshowy film-making that is entirely in the service of the screenplay and the performances – and what performances. In a just world, all three stars would be at the very top of the list of potential awards contenders for the coming season. As Katie, Coon is barricaded behind crossed arms and a layer of superiority; she delivers her lines in a rapid-fire assault of judgment. Olsen plays Christina, the youngest; a bit of a space cadet, with a beatific, slightly baffled smile and a sense of permanent disconnect. And Rachel, the stepsister and odd-one-out, is brought to life by a wonderfully lived-in performance from Lyonne, who demonstrates that she’s as gifted a dramatic actor as she is a comedian.