Inside Llewyn Davis, 2013
Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is a folk singer in the late 50s/early 60s, still emotionally reeling and numb from the suicide death of his musical partner. Effectively homeless, Llewyn crashes on various couches, including that of his friends Jim (Justin Timberlake) and Jean (Carey Mulligan). Llewyn tries to find an in with the bigger music industry, but also considers throwing in his music career and going back to work as a merchant marine.
I'm working my way through the list of films that people suggested to me leading into the 2010s countdown. This one had several mentions, so I decided to start with it.
Overall I thought that this was a very solid film, anchored by a strong central performance from Isaac that helps the film navigate a range of emotional beats and tones.
The general mode of the film leans more to the dramatic, but with strong threads of comedy woven throughout.
The theme of the drama side of the film is to do with how one can get along when someone intrinsic to our existence isn't there anymore. Llewyn is trying to make it as an independent artist, but what we see through the entire film is not only a lack on independence, but an abrasive manner towards others, including those who are trying to help him.
Maybe the most interesting dynamic on this front is between Llewyn and Jean, with whom he's had a sexual affair. In almost all of their early scenes, Jean seems overly harsh towards Llewyn, putting the blame for their sex. It seems pretty clear, though, that this anger comes from both her anger at herself and also possibly her sorrow at the loss of their friend. In one of the final scenes, we learn that Jean has arranged things so that Llewyn can perform at a local venue. For all the times she calls him a loser and implies he's only capable of destruction, she believes in him and his talent and does care for him.
On the comedy side of things, there's a constant wryness to Llewyn's manner. There are also some belly laugh moments courtesy of some of the supporting characters. There's Adam Driver as a backup singer playing with Llewyn and Jim on a studio recording ("OUTER . . . . SPACE!"). There's friend Lillian (Robin Bartlett), who berates Llewyn for bringing them back a cat that isn't theirs. "Where's the scrotum, Llewyn? WHERE'S THE SCROTUM?!".
On the supporting character front, you've also got John Goodman and Garrett Hedlund as the world's worst road trip companions. F. Murray Abraham also shows up late in the game as a producer Llewyn is hoping to impress.
Visually, the film is very washed out, which matches the flat emotions of Llewyn's character. I liked this look well enough, though by the end I was desperate for a bit more color. (Yeah, I'm aware that you can't just "put a pop of color" into depression).
While I really liked the film--including the recurring motif of the orange cat--it didn't quite cohere for me entirely. I can't put my finger on why. I really loved the performances (maybe aside from Timberlake, who is just too much
Justin Timberlake for him to blend into a fictional character, regardless of how well he's acting). I thought that the look at someone trying to navigate an identity-challenging grief was really interesting. I loved the soundtrack, many of which are songs I've played growing up.
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