The impending death of their ailing father forces three estranged sisters back together in “His Three Daughters”, an intimate family drama written and directed by Azazel Jacobs. The movie had its world premiere over a year ago at the Toronto International Film Festival where it was picked up by Netflix for $7 million. What a bargain.

“His Three Daughters” is surprising in its simplicity. The opening line in this review is really the movie in a nutshell. But it’s that very simplicity that allows the film to set its feet and hone in on the raw, tangible emotions that drive its story. And Jacobs has just the right actresses to pull it off. Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne deliver unbridled performances of such authenticity and weight. Each help to anchor the film in their own distinct yet interconnected ways.

As their father’s battle with late stage cancer reaches its end, his three daughters, Katie (Coon), Rachel (Lyonne), and Christina (Olsen), gather at his apartment in New York City to be with him during his final days. They meet their hospice representative Angel (Rudy Galvan) who fills them in on what to expect and informs them that their goal should be to make their father’s remaining days as painless and peaceful as possible.

But the main drama is found in the frayed relationships between the three women. Each has their own unique personalities and baggage. Some of the tensions have been packed away for years, and their overall lack of communication and connection has led all three to reach very different conclusions about the others. They try to put those conclusions aside for the sake of their father. But it’s only a matter of time before their proverbial lids blow off.

Katie is the oldest and has a hard time holding back her opinions. She’s prickly, obsessive, drinks when she gets anxious, and is always quick to criticize Rachel. It’s a reflection of her own trouble back home which she keeps bottled up. As for Rachel, she’s crass, detached, and spends the majority of her time smoking pot and betting on sports. It helps her to keep her emotions buried while avoiding the inevitable. Then there is the gentle Christina who spends the bulk of her time keeping the peace between her warring sisters. She is open-hearted and optimistic to a fault, often so aggressively looking for the bright side of things that she misses reality.

The more time we spend with these three women, the more we learn about them. And the more we learn, the better we understand them. Jacobs’ incisive script adds layers to each woman, taking the necessary time to allow them to fully form. Emerging bitterness and resentment leads to confrontations, yet Jacobs never paints anyone as the bad guy. They don’t always earn our approval, but they do earn our empathy. It’s due to the characters being sharply written and achingly authentic in nearly every regard.

If you have experienced watching a loved one die, “His Three Daughters” will speak to you in a number of profound ways. Jacobs approaches his subject with honesty and clarity, avoiding theatrics and never hitting a false note. But even as his characters navigate the valley of death, they insightfully speak to the deeper meaning of life. It’s all anchored by the sublime performances from Coon, Lyonne, and Olsen who make us laugh and break our hearts. And they do so while giving us hope that good can come from life’s most painful events. “His Three Daughters” is now streaming on Netflix.

VERDICT – 4 STARS