INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Review

By Darin Skaggs

     The Coen Brothers are masterful filmmakers.  They have made their name with such films as Fargo, Barton Fink, No Country For Old Men and O, Brother Where Art Thou?  Their last film 2010’s True Grit was very enjoyable, but compared to their discovery it is near the bottom of their list.  Inside Llewyn Davis is a return to form and one of the greatest Coen Brother films of all time.

     The story follows Llewyn Davis played by Oscar Isaac, a folk singer who has recently gone solo due to his partner throwing himself off the George Washington Bridge.  He is struggling with going solo.  Every night he is bumming off someone’s couch, he does not take royalties from a gig so he can get some money up front.  Also in one home he accidently lets out a cat, which keeps leaving and finding his way to Llewyn.

     Like many other Coen Brother films before it, there is no real story arc or conclusion, see No Country For Old Men.  That is not a compliant for the film, not by a long shot.  Llweyn Davis has a journey.  Not much happens to him event wise but emotionally goes through more than most. 

There are so many ways to read what is going on in this film.  I have seen many different theories of what this film is about.  Some say it is a metaphor of the grieving process.  Others say it is about learning that you are just a mediocre artist and some say it is about doing the same thing with your life and not trying to change things.  I personally think it is about not embracing the human race.  Llewyn is constantly saying the wrong thing, thinking he is better than others and wishing people understood what he was trying to get across as an artist.  It gives evidence that he got along great with his old partner Mike, but not many others.  He knows a lot of people it seems, because of Mike.  Mike might have been his only true friend and Llweyn didn’t give any effort to find someone else.  Even all the women he has sex with he seems not to have any good emotional connections, which is apparent in a funny and at the same time sad scene at a doctor’s office.

The music in this film is beautiful.  Some are silly, on purpose, and also some of the catchier songs of the year.  The songs sung by Isaac are touching and tells what Llewyn is thinking because there is no way that he will be revealing that to anyone, even himself.

There is a cat, well several different cats that could also be read as metaphors.  At times the cat seems just as lost as Llewyn.  Other times it might be a surrogate for Mike and other times it is just a cat to hang out with him.

The music is beautiful.  The story is beautiful.  The movie is beautiful.  It is also quiet a downer.  Llewyn is down on his luck trying to find his dreams, trying to get along with people he does not want to be around.  Inside Llewyn Davis is one of the greats of the year.  It should and will be remembered for decades to come.