Director Azazel Jacobs released his latest feature film, His Three Daughters, on September 20th. Jacobs’ independent, low-budget project was shot on film and released on Netflix. Portrayals by Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Coon, and Elizabeth Olsen are captivatingly humorous as they are painful. Led by a star cast, the characters of this story are unlike many family-focused films produced before.
“His Three Daughters” tells the story of three sisters navigating grief as their father nears the end of his life. However, the film is about more than death and loss. By focusing on the sisters as they cope in vastly different ways, audiences engage with their complicated family dynamic.
The raw performances of each actor provide a story that is much larger than any individual experience with death. It holds a mirror to our own experiences of family, and finding trust and belonging within them despite our differences. Each of the three sisters hold their own memories and perceptions of their father. Yet, they are each a product of his parenting and furthermore his legacy.
A pre-release screening was held at the Letterman Drive venue in San Francisco, California. The screening, hosted by SF Film, awarded the director with the SF Honors award for its impactful storytelling. The screening included a live Q&A with the director and actors Elizabeth Olsen and Jovan Adepo. Questions from the moderators revealed the process from development to the life of the film.
The Pitch of a Lifetime (or lack thereof)
Jacobs took unconventional approaches throughout making this film. He sent the script directly to the actors he wanted to portray the characters he’d created. Olsen, a previous collaborator with Jacobs, described her appeal to the imperfect ways the characters in the film interacted. “Language was a character, part of the score,” said Olsen. The panel described how the preparation and role division were reflected in the final product of character portrayals.
From the opening shot of the eldest sister, Katie, portrayed by Carrie Coon. Katie stumbles over her words and interrupts her own questions as if not seeking an answer to them. She does this as she indirectly scolds Natasha Lyonne’s character of Rachel, quickly establishing the context in which viewers of the film are entering. The three sisters are unalike in their personalities and coping mechanisms, yet bound and forced together by this dramatic life event.
Character Development
The dynamic of the sisters is established immediately. Coon’s character, Katie, is the responsible and stubborn eldest sibling. Olsen’s character of Christina plays the balancing act of sympathizing with all and maintaining the peace. Lyonne’s character, Rachel, is the “black sheep (and unruly child)” of the family, as described by Manhola Dargis in her review of the film for the New York Times.
Adepo described the process of portraying his character in the film, Benjy, who is only present for one scene but leaves a deep impact. Originally, as his character confronts two of the sisters, Adepo’s portrayal was much more animated. After rehearsal and collaborative efforts, his acting became “softened” for a more realistic delivery, in Adepo’s words.
Cinematography & Setting
Setting the film in New York City, the setting becomes somewhat of a character or contextual element to the film. “Growing up in New York, I visited a lot of apartments,” said Jacobs, “where (…) you could feel the family history, feel the fights in them — feel lives.” The director intentionally chose to make the space feel confined: “Having these walls there, these things that force you to confront things.”
This setting element is evident in the final product, as the characters are “sharing the same space, but they’re living separate lives,” according to Jacobs. The film masterfully utilizes its small budget and mix of minimalistic cinematography with a cramped apartment space. Jacobs questioned whether to “fill up a frame with as much information as possible — what could we be offered if we don’t do that?”
Post-Release & the Future of Independent Film
“I really needed to tell this story,” said Jacobs. Initially screening the film amidst the SAG-AFTRA strikes, he had attended its first premiere in the company of his wife. “We hit the silent part in the film” when Jacobs heard the sound of crying in the audience. Jacobs said that the “feeling completely alone in (his) journey suddenly just went away.”
Olsen said, “We keep trying to guess as an industry what people want to go see,” revisiting trends in film. This experience was much different than her other works in that she felt more connected to both the story and the process. “Because of Aza’s experience and ethos, this film was taken care of in such a small and beautiful way,” said Olsen.
Olsen said the release of this film has felt like “the standard of why independent films should be financed by people taking risks.” Jacobs said Netflix had been a large supporter of the film, understanding the message and providing a platform for it to live on.
Truly, independent films are the future of more captivating, relatable, and engaging cinematic experiences for audiences. “His Three Daughters” is but one of a larger list of examples as to why lower budget films deserve our attention.