Year of Release: 2023
Director: Azazel Jacobs
Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, Jay O. Sanders, Jovan Adepo, Jose Febus, Rudy Galvan, Jasmine Bracey
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review
Following the well received Patrick deWitt's adaptation of "French Exit", writer/producer/director Azazel Jacobs returned with another feature, one that he wrote himself, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival of 2023, upon which Netflix bought worldwide rights for it, and released it in September of 2024. The narrative follows the story of three sisters, Rachel, Katie, and Christina who reunite in New York, as their father is terminally ill, and they're together to see him through the last moments of his life. Rachel had been with Vincent through his ailment, and is the only one in the family on the lease for the apartment, something that keeps being brought up whenever there's a conversation. There's quite a bit of animosity of Katie towards Rachel, across everything the latter one does, in particular her habits of gambling and smoking pot. The sisters also have daily visits from Angel, a hospice worker who comes over to explain what is happening to Vincent, and what will happen once he passes away. When Rachel's boyfriend shows up, he becomes angered at Katie for her lashing out at Rachel, who has been the sole caretaker for Vincent throughout all the years, when Katie herself lives in Brooklyn and rarely showed up. Katie refers to Benjy as a stranger, but as it turns out, they had met before, and he had been coming over to spend time with Vincent very frequently. The relationship between the sisters boils over when Rachel hits back at all the criticism, including Katie's suggestion that she's less of a daughter, since she's a stepdaughter, to which Rachel states Vincent is the only father she ever knew.
There's much to admire in Azazel Jacobs' drama, as the narrative slowly unfolds and reveals who these characters actually are. While initially they seem to fit certain stereotypes, namely the irresponsible pothead, the uptight one, and the loopy one, as the film progresses the more nuanced they all start to become, showing more vulnerability, and demonstrating that not all is what it seems (in their lives and in themselves). The film in certain aspects brings to mind Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "September", firstly because of the similarities some of the sisters' personalities have, and secondly for the somber tone that the film has. A few aspects that prevents this film from truly soaring include at times the overly stagey aspect that it takes, particularly the set up of the feature and the beginning of the narrative itself. The way the characters are positioned in the physical space of the apartment, and even how their lines are uttered, reads as a theater play. Secondly, while a serious and dramatic topic, there's hardly a respite of humor in the entire film, something that Woody Allen has always been so good at embedding in his features, even the more dramatic ones. Lastly, while the casting is spot on perfect, it would be nice to see these performers shaken out of characters they've become accustomed to, and try something different for a change. The three central leads excel, particularly Natasha Lyonne, who manages to mix her usual tough persona, with vulnerability, pain and a melancholy that threatens to dim her light, but Carrie Coon as the uptight and self-centered Katie is solid, as is the quiet affirmation of Elizabeth Olsen's Christina, even if seems like we've seen these performers playing these characters before. The three central leads get great support from the always fantastic Jay O. Sanders and Jovan Adepo. The production team is impeccable, including Sam Levy's cinematography and Rodrigo Amarante's score. A solidly crafted and performed film, worth watching.
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