Review:
Inside
Llewyn Davis is a circular character drama that uses the 1961 Greenwich
Village folk music scene to show the audience something about themselves, about
humanity. The film is about a struggling folk singer and guitar player Llewyn
Davis. He is kind of an asshole, favoring the integrity of his music over all
else. He has bad manners and a surly disposition, leaving him short on friends
to freeload off. Davis is desperately trying to make a career out of his music,
but it just does not seem to be working out – on top of that he is dealing with
the death of his former partner Mike, who recently committed suicide.
Like many of the
Coen
Brothers’ films, Inside Llewyn Davis is a parable with an antihero at its
center. Here, the lesson appears to be about the beauty of artistic expression,
when humanity is otherwise often marred in ugliness. Davis is completely
unlikable in almost every way. He is a leach who does not seem to care about
anyone other than himself, just grinding it out trying to play music as a
source of employment. And yet, when he does perform there is something
marvelous to it. The Coen Brothers expose the man as being deeply passionate
and affected by life – how else could he absolutely capture the emotions of the
songs he plays and resonate so strongly with the audience?
But, Davis is also not completely
lost. When he finds out that he may have impregnated Jean (and thereby
potentially ruining her home life with her partner Jim), Davis does not
hesitate to step up to pay for the abortion. Yes, it is easy to say that he is
eager to pay to avoid any future responsibility, and this is probably partially
true, but he also could have just as easily told her that it was her problem to
deal with (which would be in line with how he behaves in other situations, like
abandoning a strung-out Roland Turner). This indicates that on some level he
does care about Jean – who is in a way his moral compass. Davis also seems to care
about the Gorfein’s cat Ulysses, as if saving the cat will somehow make up for
all his other bad deeds. Still, in the end, Davis is fairly despicable and hard
for the audience to get behind.
That said, the Coen Brothers do
something quite interesting with their portrayal of the world around him to get
the audience on his side (though, I am not sure it will work for every viewer).
Basically, Davis is shown as a pure musician and one who is genuinely talented.
The Coen Brothers interact with the world of the film and all the other
characters through the perspective of Davis – who more or less looks down on
everyone else. Thus, the other characters are either just as awful as (if not
more so than) Davis or laughably goofy. Thus, the audience too takes on Davis’s
perspective of superiority, which allows the film to work as a comedy as the
Coen Brothers roll out a series of odd characters and situations for Davis to
encounter.
The musical performances are
really the standout aspect of the film, which some ways works as a musical – on
a much purer level than the typical musical structure viewers are used to as filmgoers.
Davis delivers a number of fantastic performances and the audience are treated
to a few others from supporting characters as well (like the hilarious Please
Mr. Kennedy). It is in these performances where the film and Davis expose their
souls, where the beauty and emotional power of the music is put on display to
shine, erasing all the ill feeling the audience might feel towards Davis.
Despite being an ugly person, his music is something special and the audience
is able to see something deeper, truer inside him (which creates a connection).
This speaks to humanity in general. Throughout our existence, humanity’s
history is littered with unmistakable heinous repulsiveness, yet our history
too is filled with monumental achievements of grace (often resulting from the
arts). There is a dichotomy within people, they have it within themselves the
ability to destroy and create wonders. The beauty and emotion of Davis’s music
may in fact come out of his tortured life. It is his release. The music allows
Davis to show his emotions (grief, loss, a joyful exuberance for the music, and
so on), and may in fact be his redemption.
Another interesting aspect of the
film is the circular narrative structure that the Coen Brothers employ. The
film starts and ends with the same sequence, a flash forward that the audience
does not realize is a flash forward until the scene happens again to end the
film. In between, the audience experiences a week in Davis’s life, as he
desperately tries to make something of his career, going up to Chicago to play
for a music promoter/club owner. Like many of the Coen Brothers’ narratives,
the world just seems to have it out for Davis (some of which he probably brings
upon himself). As much as he wants to make it as a performer, everything seems
to be working against him. The audience sees him struggle for a week with
really nothing to show for it. Has he even grown as a man or learned anything
new? But as with other Coen Brothers’ films, the point is not so much the
character, rather he is just a foil for them to express something deeper –
which is really more up to the audience’s interpretation than an exact meaning.
Inside Llewyn Davis is odd and
quirky, like most of the Coen Brothers’ work. But additionally, some viewers
may find it to be overly long in parts (I am specifically thinking of the road trip
to Chicago sequence). While the pacing did not bother me, I can see it being an
issue for those not fully engaged in the narrative, as it is a bit slow.
The music in Inside Llewyn Davis
is onto itself a good enough reason to see the film (especially for fans of
folk music), but the Coen Brothers offer so much more with their typically irregular
characters and penetrating parable narrative.
Technical,
aesthetic & acting achievements: The Coen Brothers, who briefly
ventured closer to a conventional Hollywood narrative with
True
Grit (though, still a film I really liked), have found their way back to
making wonderful, strange films with Inside Llewyn Davis, which feels in some
ways like a companion piece to
Barton Fink
and
A
Serious Man, and musically maybe a bit of a continuation of
O, Brother Where
Art Thou? The Coen Brothers continue to distinguish themselves as true
American auteurs, with each new film both expanding their impressive catalog
and exploring something new and grand. Each of their films (minus a couple) is
a cinematic treat.
As stated many times above, the
music in the film is fantastic. The Coen Brothers and executive music producer
T-Bone Burnett
have assembled and crafted a very strong array of folk songs that entertain and
get to the soul of their performers. However,
Bruno Delbonnel’s
cinematography may be the film’s most impressive aspect. It is at the same time
surreal and felicitous, creating a feeling within the audience that they are watching
a time-soaked period drama (which they are) – it feels both old and new. It also
perfectly echoes the grief stricken sadness of Davis, thereby fitting the tone
very well. There is even a slight hint of nostalgia, despite all the characters
being fairly unlikable.
Jess Gonchor’s
production design provides a real authenticity to the film, as everything looks
and feels as it should. Gonchor also succeeds in using his design to speak to
who these characters are – which particularly can be seen in
Mary Zophres’s
costume design.
In some ways the film is episodic,
with sequences feeling separate and insular – characters coming in and out. There
are many small performances, all of them strong.
Garrett Hedlund
has almost no dialog, for example, but feels so dynamic on-screen. Other great
small supporting performances come from
Ethan Phillips,
Stark Sands,
Max Casella,
Justin
Timberlake,
F. Murray
Abraham, and especially
Adam Driver
(who just steals the Please Mr. Kennedy scene).
John Goodman
plays Roland Turner, an obnoxious aging cripple jazzman. As unlikable as Davis
is, Goodman’s Turner makes him appear in a much better light (if only for a
moment).
Carey
Mulligan is fantastic as Jean, a young woman and folk singer who is both
fed up with Davis and probably secretly still has a thing for him (because why
else would she care so much about him or be so infuriated by him). Her scene in
the park opposite Davis is maybe the most compelling, acting wise, of the film
(really, I kind of wish there was more between these two as their chemistry is
electric).
Oscar
Isaac is brilliant as Llewyn Davis. He has always been a good character
actor, but this film sees him at his best. He plays Davis to be a dirt bag,
yes, but behind all that is a man who is in intense emotional pain. Maybe all
his bad behavior is just a protective front or him acting out against a world
that has seemingly never given him a real chance, instead taking so much from
him.
Summary
& score: Fans of the Coen Brothers will again be enchanted by yet another
great character driven parable, and in addition Inside Llewyn Davis offers
incredibly moving and entertaining musical performances. 8/10
