Rent Inside Llewyn Davis on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Adam Driver, John Goodland, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.
Verdict
It's a depressing and relentless tale about an artist chasing a dream. While Llewyn isn't an outstanding person, you feel sorry for him anyway. It seems at times the world is against him and sometimes that's by his own doing. It's easy to read into the movie and what events means. It's a heartbreaking story that stays in my mind every time I watch this movie. Llewyn was so close to a dream that could never be. In a movie about music, the songs excel.
Watch it.
Review
I love this movie, and I love the soundtrack. The music was performed live by the actors, no lip-synching. Oscar Isaac had recorded music in a previous movie and was lead vocals in a ska band while at Julliard, so this isn't his first time performing.
The Coen brothers make great movies this one and No Country for Old Men are two of my all time favorites. From the very first image this movie looks great. The music doesn't disappoint either which is crucial for a movie about the industry.
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| Oscar Isaac plays Llewyn Davis. |
Llewyn is a hard up musician just trying for a chance. He has no place to stay, no money, and no prospects. He's an artist chasing the impossible dream. Nothing is going right. This is a depressing story. Every choice Llewyn makes seems to be wrong. Oscar Isaac does a great job of connecting you to the character, making you empathize with a struggling artist.
Everything, even the weather, works against Llewyn. That includes Llewyn. He finally decides to give up on his dream and re-enroll with the Merchant Marines. He's been chasing the dream the entire movie, ensnared by his past and situations he's created. It's not that his music is bad, he's just not the sound the people in the industry want. After scrapping for so long, Llewyn gives up.
I love the story. You know it's a hard choice for Llewyn to make, but he's pinned. What really makes the end is that the last scene is the same as the first scene. After watching the movie it reveals a completely different meaning. It's great imagery. Llewyn is literally and figuratively on the way out. Llewyn's sound was ahead of its time. He stayed around as long as he could, but it wasn't long enough. The industry left him bloodied and broken, a shadowy figure beating him up and driving away. All Llewyn can do his bid his dreams goodbye. What makes it even more tragic is that after Llewyn's last gig, the next act is Bob Dylan. The man who would usher in the folk music genre. Llewyn could just never catch a break.
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