Review: Inside Llewyn Davis

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For the Coen Brothers, there's generally three levels for their films: weird, weirder, and super weird. On the weird side you've got films like A Serious Man that aren't overly bizarre but still have a host of very quirky, awkward characters and some ridiculous scenarios, and on the other end of the spectrum you've got films like Barton Fink that almost make no sense at all but are still somehow genius. It's always a treat whenever a Coen Bros. movie comes out because you're never quite sure what you're going to get, but the result is always something unlike anything else that year and often times unlike anything you've ever seen.

There's no doubt that the Coens are some of the best directors working in America today and they've proved it over and over again by tackling a whole host of different genres including thriller, western, film noir, comedy (of course you could say this about every one of their movies), and arguably musical (with O Brother, Where Art Thou?). And that last one marks a significant facet of the Coens' movies I always appreciate: the soundtracks. Composer Carter Burwell generally pairs with the Coens to compose original soundtracks or else the legendary T-Bone Burnett produces amazing folksy, blue-grass tunes. Sometimes there's no soundtrack at all as with the chilling No Country for Old Men. This time around, Burnett teams up with the brothers once again to tell the tale of down-and-out folk singer Llewyn Davis trying to make it in the music scene of 1960's Greenwich Village. 

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Early on in production, the Coens made it clear that the authenticity of the music was most important in that it mold with the actors' performances. They went through a number of different actors and auditions before deciding to go with Oscar Isaac because of his ability to sing and play the songs the role required of him and he appeared to be a decent actor to boot. Co-stars Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Adam Driver, and others also performed their musical parts as well. These musical interludes form the backbone of Inside Llewyn Davis and there's obviously a heavy focus on Llewyn's drive to become a successful musician rather than several other paths that present themselves to him. It's a rather simple story and quite a normal one at that, especially for the Coens which makes it rather puzzling.

Technically speaking, everything about the film is great. The music is awesome (as expected) and the acting is great and continues with the Coens' ability to conjure so many vibrant, quirky characters out of thin air. The de-saturated colors, shadows, and soft glow of the cinematography is beautiful and sets the tone for the Winter setting as well as for Llewyn's stage in life. Still, I found myself wondering what the point of all of it was. Other than the classic tale of a poor, struggling artist, why did the genius Coen brothers choose to make such a film?

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(here's where I get pretentious) I couldn't help but think while I was watching Inside Llewyn Davis that it felt like a sort of sequel to O Brother, Where Art Thou? Of course, the stories are vastly different. O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a sort of retelling of The Odyssey and a treasure hunt. So at first glance they only share a similar style of music and music producer. Yet, I say that they both share a connection to The Odyssey, and Inside Llewyn Davis shares even more of a connection with James Joyce's Ulysses. There's a number of reasons why I believe this, but unfortunately, I can't share any of them without giving away portions of the plot; especially a very interesting, peculiar ending. In short, both films portray a man on a journey home, or in Llewyn's case, to find a home. Except Llewyn seems resistant to lasting relationships or close ones at that.

I think the Coens must have a fondness for the folk music of the 1960s and that general time period and chose to set a story there that could have been told in almost any time. It's the story of a person caught in a cycle of mistakes and bad luck that are partly his/her fault and sometimes not at all. We see glimpses of Llewyn's life that suggest good times before but a possibly troubled family in the past as well as recent bad luck and tragedy. As a result, Llewyn is a sower, touchy and grouchy character. Still, he's genuinely invested in his music and it's touching to watch him play. For those few performances, the hard exterior drops away and he's a very talented individual, but sadly, Llewyn can't seem to get out of his current situation of couch surfing around Greenwich Village to make enough money to get along alright. And you can't say he doesn't try to but everything seems to be against him. 

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In this way, Llewyn does not resemble the determined Ulysses searching for home but rather the troubled Leopold Bloom trapped in a sort of limbo or purgatory. Llewyn seems doomed to repeat his failures as the ending depicts so well. Yet there's an instance earlier in the film (the details of which I won't disclose to avoid spoilers) where Llewyn almost turns a car off a highway in order to follow a trail that could drastically change his life, but he doesn't. So it's not that Llewyn doesn't have chances to change his life and break out of this cycle of failures. Inside Llewyn Davis becomes about looking at the past and pondering the might-have-beens. The 1960s setting furthers this theme of melancholy and is expounded by the lyrics of many of the featured songs, specifically the main track "Fare Thee Well" followed at the very end by Bob Dylan's "Farewell."

Thus, Inside Llewyn Davis holds some valuable, melancholy themes to follow, and like I said, the ending suggests even more interesting themes to discuss, but you'll have to see the film yourself to see what I'm talking about. It's one of those films that stays with you for days afterward. You can't help but love it but be equally puzzled by its significance. And in so doing, the Coens retain their status as brilliant, modern writers/directors. Unfortunately, this film does not hold such wide appeal as past films of there's such as True Grit or No Country for Old Men so it's no surprise that Inside Llewyn Davis garnered very few Oscar nominations. Still, it has definitely earned a place on my top films of 2013 list (that will be premiering here very soon!).