Inside Llewyn Davis, currently playing at the Enzian theater in Maitland, the latest from the Coen brothers (A Serious Man, No Country for Old Men), is a beautifully shot film about miserable people. The film opens at the end of one of Llewyn’s (Oscar Isaac) shows in a dive bar (an extremely nice “dive” bar). He is told by the bar owner that a friend is outside waiting for him. Llewyn heads into the back alley of the bar and his “friend” ends up giving him a beating, and so the movie begins.
The film flashes back to show the events that led up to this confrontation between Llewyn and this mystery man and what we see is a melancholic tale of an artist struggling to survive. What follows is a journey through a week in his life and all of the encounters he has, from couch hopping and recording music, to a particularly enjoyable road trip with a wonderful and hilarious John Goodman.
The film takes a very honest and brutal approach to telling this story of a struggling musician down on his luck, which may work for some. For others, however, it might be a problem to find any redeeming qualities for any of the characters in the story (except Ulysses the cat). Llewyn continues to self-sabotage himself over and over again to a frustrating degree. Despite the fact that the film is so beautifully shot (by cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel), the motivation behind these characters misery is a challenge to picture. At one point Llewyn is invited to stay at a fellow musicians “dumpy” apartment, only this apartment is the nicest dump I have ever scene.
The subplot about Ulysses the cat really keeps the film from falling apart. Llewyn accidently ends up having to take care of this cat over the course of the film and Ulysses seems to be symbolic of all of the things that have gone wrong in Llewyn’s life. His inability to take responsibility for himself and those around him, as well as his actions and how no matter how hard he tries to do what he feels is the right thing, ultimately ends up a failure.
Inside Llewyn Davis isn’t a bad film but for the Coen Brothers, it isn’t quite the masterpiece we were hoping for either. The film suffers from its own bleakness and unpleasant characters, which left me feeling indifferent and unsatisfied. The movie itself is fairly forgettable but the musical numbers will be stuck in your head for days. Perhaps it might be best to wait for the DVD.
6/10
I thing you pretty well nailed it. I was part of a folk group during the 60’s. We performed on the same stage as Peter, Paul, and Mary. I had a ball doing folk music and still do. I find folk music to be uplifting and insightful, not depressing. I think the depressing part is just a Coen thing.
Jerry Shelly, for The Coachmen