Media Diary | Week 1 | Review

Inside Llewyn Davis | Review

Probably the first thing to say about Inside Llewyn Davis is that it’s not a success story, however it is not a story of failure either. It’s a story of how one musician aspires for success, and tries frantically - against the odds - to avoid failure. However, the question you’re trying to answer is if the Coen Brothers tell the story well… 

The simple answer to this is yes. The Coen Brothers, I’m confident to say, have created a masterpiece of a 1960’s Folk music drama. The soundtrack, which may be claimed to be the pinnacle of achievement in this movie, is in no doubt utterly gorgeous and perfectly matches the themes in this film. The lighting is painstakingly beautiful and the cinematography is nothing short of spectacular. But all of this is nothing in terms of the utterly brilliant narrative... 

The apparent foreshadowing will pull at your heartstrings from the very beginning of the film, nothing more can be said. The entire film is simply an emotional rollercoaster, from Llewyn simply losing his friends cat, you will burst into tears, and Llewyn our persevering protagonist was simply written to nigh perfection. He doesn’t have emotional breakdowns, there are no outbursts of absurd violence; but due to the remarkably incredible acting skill of Oscar Issac and the ingenious directing of the Coen Brothers, the pain is heartbreakingly obvious in his eyes and every action, but even behind that pain you can see his frantic hope, in the way he attempts so vainly to achieve success.

The film has some heavily morose themes, it is sadly impossible to state them without spoiling the magic of the film but it does add to the films heavily depressing atmosphere. Despite all the mention of how sad this film is, it’s actually exceptionally funny at times, raising a few chuckles from tear stained faces. Our protagonist, Llewyn Davis is a wisecracking genius, despite having a tendency to swear inappropriately. And his ex-girlfriend Jean is a perfect vent for his aforementioned wisecracks, as she has an unfortunate tendency to berate our beloved protagonist. 

In conclusion, Inside Llewyn Davis is a heartbreaking, occasionally hilarious and shockingly uplifting movie that everybody who has a human soul must see at the nearest convenience, this film is simply not to be missed!

-John Carson