Written by Isabella Halteman. Photos by Ally Miller-Henson.
“His Three Daughters” screened on Oct. 26 at the Lucas Theatre. Shot in only 17 days in New York City, Azazel Jacobs and his team created a touching and tear-jerking screen experience.
Three sisters reconnect in an abrupt way after their father is put in hospice on his last days. They take turns staying at his side and making him as comfortable as possible. Katie (Carrie Coon) and Rachel (Natasha Lyonne) hold old grudges against each other and struggle to keep the peace around their dying father, with Christina (Elizabeth Olsen), the middle child, getting in between her sisters to stop their fights. Katie, the oldest, steps into her father’s apartment and takes control. Rachel, who has been caring for their father, didn’t get his DNR (do-not-resuscitate order) papers signed as Katie asked, leaving an angry Katie struggling to find a time when he is lucid enough to do so. Christina lives in California with her young daughter and husband, who she frequently speaks to on the phone in scenes. Rachel, who will be taking over their father’s apartment, tries to stay in her space as to avoid her older sister Katie from snipping at her every decision, like it seems it has been since they were kids. The three sisters finally sit down and force some conversation out of each other, finding ways to reconnect and relate to each other during a very difficult, strange time. While they are all in different stages of their lives with varying priorities, at the moment they are all under the same storm cloud just trying to keep going.
With a carefully crafted cast of under 10 people, relationships and character drive the movie. The different dynamics of the sisters go through some changes but settle and improve at the end in a satisfying way. With brief scenes from other characters such as Benjy (Jovan Adepo) and their father Vincent (Jay O. Sanders), love and grief is presented to the audience inside a Manhattan apartment.
Natasha Lyonne was honored with the Maverick award at the screening, paired with a Q&A where she shared details about her experience with the film. She spoke of how wonderful it was to work with such dedicated seasoned actors and a crew that is wildly creative. Lyonne also writes, directs and produces herself often, but when she is asked to play a good role with good people, she can’t decline.
Natasha Lyonne accepting the Maverick award
Isabella Halteman is a sophomore Performing Arts major with minors in Creative Writing and Vocal Performance. She is a Copy Editor for District, editing and publishing articles on our website. She also enjoys writing poetry and creative personal essays. Outside of school, you can find her singing in her car, baking and cooking, and watching old movies.
