INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS – The Review

 Review by Michael Haffner

There’s a scene early on in the Coen Brothers’ new film where the main character of Llewyn Davis goes to his manager’s office to retrieve his earnings from his most recent musical recording. If it wasn’t for the fact the manager’s oblivious and uninterested deadpan demeanor is perfectly played for laughs, we would actually be treated to such a depressing state of pleading that it might make the entire stream of events that follow too depressing to swallow. Oscar Isaac’s character Llewyn isn’t asking for money to buy some whiskey or to score some “grass.” He simply wants a winter coat. Why this scene is so important is because it perfectly captures the life of the struggling singer-songwriter. Even though INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS is set amid the folk revival of the 60’s in New York, the idea of a real musician struggling to survive in a world that would rather listen to more accessible musicians (“squares” as they say here) is a theme that still carries on in our world today. The Coen Brothers have a long history of structuring their films around characters on a journey; a journey in both physical and metaphorical terms. Yet what makes their characters stick with audiences long after the credits roll is that they seem to reflect not just a single individual but also that of an entire country. Their most recent examination of America’s identity might be one of the most accomplished films in the Brothers’ career and yet also their most personal.

Oscar Isaac plays Llewyn Davis – a musician who is only equipped with his trusty guitar. Every day ends with his livelihood dependant on the next person who’s offering their couch for a night of rest. A series of unfortunate events is triggered when his most recent squatting leads to him accidentally letting out the owners of the apartment’s cat – Ulysses. From there the two shuffle about the frigid streets of Greenwich Village running into past affairs (Carey Mulligan) and popular figures in the new music folk scene (Adam Driver and Justin Timberlake). Davis soon decides to take matters into his own hands after his manager’s incompetence takes its final toll on him. And so he sets out on a road trip to impress a record mogul in Chicago.

The Coen Brothers have perfectly captured the mood and feeling of the early 60’s. All of the performances add depth to the script’s witty dialogue and focus on substance over style. Nothing portrays this more than Oscar Isaac’s forlorn posture and weathered appearance. Much like the rest of their filmography, an attention to detail is evident in every shot as Bruno Delbonnel’s cinematography seems to give the entire film a unique blend of sepia toned and black & white film color tones. There’s a natural way to how the story unfolds. At times it feels we have been walking in the same shoes as Lllewyn for years on end. There’s a familiarity to the scenes as the film progresses and this pattern of recurring events is only reiterated by the scenes that bookend the film.

Some may be quick to say that Llewyn’s road trip to Chicago half-way through the film may seem not only as a departure of sorts from the New York centered story but also as a detour from the heart of the matter, but the excursion adds some bitingly funny scenes thanks to a cameo by John Goodman and adds a mysterious layer to the events due to a rather enigmatic sequence where Garret Hedlund’s character recites a poem at a late night restaurant. Perhaps the scenes with Goodman feel a little too obvious given the actor’s reputation of playing bombastic and loud-mouthed characters. However, the hostile rapport between the two actors in these scenes create some of the most memorable scenes in a film that could easily exist as a clip reel of some of the best scenes and dialogue put to film in 2013.

At the heart of the film lies the story of an intrepid artist who pours his heart into his music. Each of the songs performed by Llewyn display the same level of honesty and reverence that the directors’ bestow on the film. The journey of an artist – whether it be a painter, actor, or in this case a musician – can be a lonely road of introspection and hardship. Given the fact that this trip is in the hands of the Coens, an equal amount of humor and drama are infused along the way. Whether it be the repeated sightings of an orange cat named Ulysses – whose name is no coincidence of course – or the cyclical nature of the story, LLEWYN DAVIS’ tale of a poor folk singer in the 60’s shows that sometimes history is doomed to repeat itself. Thankfully this is a film that will be worth repeating for years to come.

5  of 5 Stars