Written and Directed by Azazel Jacobs | 101 min | ▲▲▲▲△| Netflix

A single-setting location picture holding three fantastic performances — Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, and Carrie Coon as estranged sisters brought together when their father’s at death’s door. This is about that weird, liminal time when family gathers because someone is passing, but you never know how long it’s going to be before they go, so everyone’s stuck in a confined space dealing with their own grief and not sleeping well. There’s stress and anger and resentment, even for the people you love.

In this case, affection is far from certain. Katie (Coon) lives in Brooklyn, not far from the Manhattan apartment where her father is dying and where Rachel (Lyonne), her stepsister, has also been living. Rachel’s been taking care of things with their Dad in the apartment, but Katie is super-judgmental of Rachel’s lifestyle — gambling on sports and smoking weed. In the middle is Christina (Olsen) who lives on the west coast with her family, she’s the one who is the mediator, the one who never seemed like she needed anything.

It doesn’t take long for Katie’s rigidity and judgment to sour things with Rachel and even Christina raises her voice. This while hospice care workers visit the apartment every day and explain what’s going to happen.

I’m a big fan of location cinematography to give a picture an unmistakable verisimilitude, and that’s what this achieves by having shot in an actual apartment. That the production made this choice allows the resulting story to feel so much more authentic, alleviating some of the staginess that comes from the single location and the talky script.

It’s true, His Three Daughters could’ve easily been a black box play, but the strength of the performances and the location work lifts the material toward something universal and relatable. Strongly recommended as a watch with family or friends, it’s bound to prompt some real talk.