Inside Llewyn Davis, 2013.
Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen.
Starring Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Garret Hedlund, and Oscar Isaac.
SYNOPSIS:
A week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.
For over three decades, The Coen Brothers have become filmmakers of the highest order, and over the third of those decades, they have seen acclaim continue with the extra bonus of winning Oscars for their superb adaptation of No Country for Old Men. Indeed many of their films can be viewed as “personal” efforts, but with Inside Llewyn Davis, their newest tour-de-force, you can’t help but think this is the most personal.
After losing his long-time partner and friend to suicide, folk singer Llewyn Davis faces obscurity. Lost in a sea of stifled creativity, Davis is struggling to adapt to life without his musical soul-mate, and slowly starts in his descent into the abyss, dismantling his life in the process. His family has given up on him (Davis tells his nephew that he is a “bad man”), he’s knocked up his friend’s fiancé (a dry Carey Mulligan) and he sprouts profanity at the old couple giving him shelter. Oh, and inadvertently loses their cat too. No matter what he touches, he almost immediately turns it to shit.
Covered in a lush mist of drained grey’s and blues from new Coen’s DP Bruno Debonnel, Inside Llewyn Davis‘ bleak look will certainly tickle the taste buds of everyone, but is certainly one that should be seen regardless. At times witty and droll, others heartbreaking and melancholic, the Coen’s have again stamped their mercurial talents to another unforgettable film. Delicious in its dialogue and stunning in its look and feel, the siblings took their time finishing this one, meticulously editing and perfecting the wonderful soundtrack with the great T.Bone Burnett, and you can see the care and precision up on the screen. It truly is a wonder of filmmaking, and certainly one of the brothers’ very best.
The film itself is ultimately about finding one self and tackling the journey to it, no matter how far or wide you need to go to find it, if you ever do. Llewyn, so adamant and narrow-minded on the opinion that he should the biggest artist around, waits patiently (though not quietly) for his moment to shine, even as those around him know differently, and won’t take no for an answer, even if it means navigating John Goodman’s off-kilter jazz musician or singing political space “wonders” with Justin Timberlake. Davis knows nothing else but the sweet melancholy of his music, and without it, he will be just another drop in the ocean.
Davis’ performance is undoubtedly the performance of the year (no comparison to Chiwitel Ejiofor at time of writing); while downbeat, gruff and essentially a bit of an arse, his performance is so sincere and genuine, you can’t help but feel for Davis in his time of depression, and hope that one day, a true calling will come.
Disappointingly, the great filmmaking and acting on show here has been overlooked during awards season (an Oscar nom for cinematography the only one). Their loss is our gain, and perhaps without the “stigma” of a Best Picture or Actor slathered over its posters and ad’s, Inside Llewyn Davis can be everyone’s little (big) secret.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Scott Davis
Originally published January 21, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
