Preparing to grieve can become the most painful aspect of mourning a parent for any child, no matter how much they strive to push their suffering out of their mind. That’s certainly the case for the trio of sisters in the family drama, ‘His Three Daughters,’ as they reunites to try to handle their new period of uncertainty and despair over the imminent loss of their father together. The women are trapped in limbo as they grapple with their father’s looming death in the compact New York City apartment they once shared.
The movie was written, directed and produced by Azazel Jacobs. The filmmaker collaborated with his cinematographer Sam Levy, to create a tense, captivating, and touching portrait of family dynamics.
Levy is known for his collaborations with Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig on several of their acclaimed comedy-dramas, including ‘Frances Ha,’ ‘While We’re Young’ and ‘Ladybird.’ He once again stylishly draws viewers into the unique realm of the story that’s featured in his latest drama, which he shot on Kodak film and an Arri camera.
Like his previous movies, the director of photographer’s work on ‘His Three Daughters’ fearlessly pushes cinematic boundaries. It showcases how women take control of their pain, joy and futures.
‘His Three Daughters’ stars Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne as the three sisters who converge after their father’s health declines. After being estranged, the women come together to try to plan for the inevitable.
The eldest is high-strung Katie (Coon), who stresses about all the practical details. The middle sister, Rachel (Lyonne), is ready to check out after spending a year taking care of their father. The youngest sibling, Christina (Olsen), seems always on the verge of tears, trying her best to clumsily keep the peace while they’re all stuck in their father’s small apartment.
The three sisters each have their own perspective on how to deal with the situation. Their father remains hidden from the audience’s view throughout the movie, confined to his bed. As his daughters take turns arguing, his life is slowly presented through the women’s actions.
‘His Three Daughters’ had its World Premiere in the Special Presentations section at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to critical acclaim. It’s scheduled to be released on Netflix on November 1.
Levy generously took the time to talk about serving as the cinematographer on ‘His Three Daughters’ during an exclusive interview over Zoom the day after the feature’s premiere. Among other things, the filmmaker discussed what his experience of collaborating with Jacobs as the drama’s writer-director-producer was like on the set; how shooting the movie in a real Manhattan apartment influence the way he filmed the project; the experience of working with the actresses to determine how to best create their physicalities for the camera; and what it means to him that the movie premiered at last year’s TIFF.
Watch our exclusive video interview with Levy about ‘His Three Daughters’ above.
Film Factual 