+ Best Music Film of the Year
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| Gruffy poster for Ethan and Joel Coen's folk musician movie Inside Llewyn Davis |
Inside Llewyn Davis is a dramedy period portrait of a week in the life of Davis, a struggling folk musician in New York anno 1961.
The character is inspired by the real Dave Van Ronk, who was a known musician in the New York folk music scene, but who never broke through to the public, although the inspiration is mostly music-wise, it appears.
The film is the story of a struggling, faltering artist, who is down to his last legs as a creative performing artist, and who spends most of his days securing his next couch to sleep on and mope about his unfulfilled existence. There are also plot points about a cat going missing, abortions and a hope-induced trip to Chicago.
The film is in a way sad, because it takes very real looks at some facts of life without sugarcoating them, - namely that not all great artists make the cut to the public, - but it is never heartbreaking, because Davis never succumbs to total desperation or despair. He is a character who holds his head high, - although it is a surly, moody head, - and defends his way of life, what he at one point claims "pays his rent", (although he doesn't actually ever pay any rent, because he doesn't have a place.) SPOILER He even takes a beating for his unfeeling arrogant heckling without sentimentality which both opens and ends the film in a very touching way.
People go in and out of each others' lives and sometimes rub up on each other, creating friction, (be the outcome sex, violence, kids, hatred or despair), and that is the thing which is showcased in Davis. It is very real, very disarming, and often hilarious. It dodges ever getting near to being a downer by having tons of dry and black humor and wonderful characters in it. There are awfully funny situations, (the first cat-scenes are extremely wonderful, for instance), and rich New York-characters like the lady at Davis' management's office. The trip to Chicago features a funny performance from John Goodman (Argo (2012)) as an obnoxious, unhealthy individual, but he is just one of so many who shine vigorously in the film:
Among its great performances especially Carey Mulligan (Drive (2011)) as a very bitter and angry woman, F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus (1984)) and Garrett Hedlund (Tron (2010)) excel. And Oscar Isaac (The Two Faces of January (2014)) is just so fine as Llewyn Davis, and his actual guitar-playing and singing are a marvel.
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| Oscar Isaac with cat in The Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis |
The music is wonderful, and the songs get to have their space and make their impressions. The photography by Bruno Delbonnel is evocative; New York (and Chicago) is grim, wet, messy and cold in Davis. Nothing glamorous or romantic about the big cities or the land in between them here.
Some of the musicians who were around in the early 60s New York folk scene have complained that the film makes the environment at the time look dreary and sad, and that Ronk was a nicer guy than Davis; but the writer-director brothers Ethan and Joel Coen (The Big Lebowski (1998)) never claim that this is the film about Ronk, (check the title for that for instance!), and they are really free as artists to not make a happy-go-lucky folk musician movie, - in fact I for one am glad that they didn't.
Llewyn Davis in the film is a man who frequently is called an idiot, and who has more or less gotten used to seeing himself as a loser. But he is stubborn and believes in himself, and he has feelings and can write songs. It all makes him very human, and a very good acquaintance.
Inside Llewyn Davis is surely one of the best movie acquaintances of 2013, and one of the best Coen films ever. I can watch this one over and over again.
Related posts:
The Coen brothers: 2013 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED VI]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
Burn After Reading (2008) or, Idiocy 2008
The Big Lebowski (1998) - The stoner comedy to reign over all
Barton Fink (1991) or, The Writer's Hell
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| Oscar Isaac and F. Murray Abraham in a 'climactic' song session in the film's Chicago-segment |
Budget: 11 mil. $
Box office: 32.5 mil. $
= Big hit
What did you think of Llewyn Davis and the film?
Do you know any other fine movies about folk musicians?
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