Daughters

Running time: N/A

Three women, two days, one family: an apt, if oversimplified, synopsis of Chris Brown's absorbing feature film debut. Daughters gives us a snapshot view of the lives of three generations of women, each facing an age-related crisis. Jade is turning 50. She lives with her mother, a cynical woman who refuses to stop smoking despite serious health problems, and her daughter, a 25-year-old slacker-in-training. Jade tries to prod her housemates into doing what's ''right'' while dealing with the eminent bankruptcy of her own home-based business. Each of the women must try to muster the energy to move forward, even though their lives seem to be permanently stalled. The film is set in the East Bay city of Livermore, a once rural town facing changes in the form of Wal-Mart and other signs of urban sprawl. Warm, knowing, and filled with startlingly realistic performances, Daughters reveals much more than three women, two days, one family. --Ken Karn