Meet Margaux, our French correspondent. Every so often she’ll share her thoughts on the many movies she sees. Check out her own personal review of Inside Llewyn Davis
The latest creation by Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis, transports us to the land of folk music and failed dreams.
We get to spend a week in the life of Llewyn Davis a struggling musician trying to break into the New York music scene while bumping into every obstacle imaginable.
I’m not a big fan of the Coen Brothers as I don’t really get their world, but even if Inside Llewyn Davis is frustrating and a little bit flat it was a pleasant movie to watch.
Some things bothered me: they re-used the “outsider/loser” character, already seen In A Serious Man back in 2009, without adding anything new. Davis goes about his life without a goal and fails in everything he tries to do: he’s homeless and penniless, he crashes at his friends’ places, and even friend of friends’ places, and has a habit of rejecting anybody who wants to help him.
I spent the whole movie waiting for something to happen, for the character to discover what he is supposed to do, but nothing happens. Literally. The movie begins and ends with the same scene, but even after seeing what he did to end up there it still confused me and left me extremely frustrated.
However, in its whole, the atmosphere saves the movie. It is aesthetically beautiful; the Coen Brothers did a great job on that side! The set of Greenwich Village in the 60s is superbly represented and I almost wish I could be in one of those bars watching artists take their first steps on stage.
The music is delightful! Being a folk music lover, I was over the moon! Oscar Isaac, in addition to portraying the main role perfectly, is a very skilled musician and even arranged some of the songs heard in the movie.
The Coen Brothers made a really good choice by casting him because while all the “famous” supporting cast brings absolutely nothing to the story, his interpretation of Davis feels authentic. You don’t particularly like him, however, he is a sympathetic character; you’re rooting for him and you want him to get somewhere with his life!
Something else that I really liked was the cat. It adds a nice funny touch to this tale and it’s such a beautiful cat! What’s not to like?
Even if this musical tale brings to light a new face of failure, in a society where everyone is after success and fortune, the Coen Brothers could have developed their story a little bit further, to avoid the bittersweet feeling you get at the end of the movie.
Rating: 3/5
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