Set in the early sixties, the film follows a week in the life of a struggling folk singer as he drifts from couch to couch trying to restart his career after the death of his partner.
Inside Llewyn Davis is one of the most visually appealing films released over the past year. The largely grey and brown colour palette fits in beautifully with the subtly downbeat tone, and everything about the sixties styling, right down to the dim, smoky bars the folk singers inhabit, look lovely.
The musical scenes are always thoroughly enjoyable, too. The novelty song Please Mr Kennedy is lots of fun, but the stand out is the introductory song of “Hang Me, Oh Hang Me” performed by Oscar Isaac. The soundtrack is probably as close to perfect as you can get.
There also isn’t a single duff note in the entire cast. The supporting actors are all impressive, with small but interesting roles for the likes of John Goodman, Carey Mulligan, Adam Driver and Alex Karpovsky (better known as the two boys from Girls). That said, the film all hinges on Llewyn himself.
As a character, he’s never really particularly likable. He’s rude, self centred and irresponsible, expecting a lot from those around him without ever really giving anything in return. And yet, as he goes from one unpleasant situation to another, it’s hard not to feel for him. Wandering through the white snowy streets without even a proper coat, he evokes something from the audience. Maybe not sympathy, perhaps its pity, but definitely something.
Drive star Oscar Isaac plays him beautifully, putting in a very subtle and understated performance, just teetering on the right side of unpleasant. But there are also crucial moments of humanity shown in him so he doesn’t completely alienate those watching.
This is perhaps best demonstrated by his interactions with two ginger cats he cares for during the film. It’s been heavily discussed what the cats actually symbolise, but on the surface they represent a need for responsibility that it’s up to Llewyn to grasp. They’re also very, very cute.
The fact that the film doesn’t tell Llewyn’s tale with a clear structure works surprisingly well. There’s no clear beginning, middle and end, but rather it’s a glimpse into a small period of how his life always is. This means there’s very little closure at the end, but this doesn’t feel frustrating or unsatisfactory at all.
When the film wasn’t nominated in any of the major categories for the Oscars last month, it seemed like Inside Llewyn Davis may be something of a disappointment, particularly as the Coen’s are usually Academy favourites. But, after receiving almost unanimously positive reviews, the decision to omit it has caused lots of confusion.
Regardless, this is a film that deserves to be seen. Beautifully understated, gently funny and strangely sad, this is one of the best Coen Brother’s films to date.