Inside Llewyn Davis

If you're looking for a cheerful movie, a real sugar-coated picker upper...this is not it.

But one should expect that from anything by the Coen Brothers. Weird levels of sadness and humor are almost always woven into the fabric of their finished products. Hey, remember the man-bob sporting murderer in No Country for Old Men?...Haircut =hilarious. Murder= what the heck? 

Llewyn Davis is a couch hopping folk singer just trying to make it in 1960s Greenwich Village. He's got no money, no coat and he may or may not have just lost his friend's cat. Llewyn can't seem to catch a break of any kind and bad luck of all kinds keeps throwing obstacles in his way. Armed with his guitar and decreasing determination, we walk alongside him from gig to possible gig as he battles the grueling cold of winter and his career. 

The film swells with the beautiful, melancholy sounds of the heart performed by Oscar Isaac himself along with Marcus Mumford and of course some Punch Brothers thrown in there too. Llewyn describes it perfectly to his audience, "If it's never new and it doesn't get old, it's a folk song." Every song lingers beautifully as it transports us back in time to cafes filled with smoke and dreams. 

But with all of its beautiful sounds and hilarious moments, a current of heartbreak runs strong beneath the surface. The tone is appropriate and fitting for the theme of the film as Lleywn struggles and questions what he's really doing. Oh and can I just say Oscar Isaac is absolutely fantastic? He's witty, sad and deepest of all... tired. (And if I may also add, ruggedly cute. But hey. *shrugs*) Actors can act those things...but he makes you believe it. The close up scenes of his eyes tell you everything you need to know about Llewyn. He makes the film. However what is understandable in the beginning seems to carry on a bit too long, leaving in its wake feelings of depression and dullness. As much as I liked the colorization of the film, it too is bleak and cloudy.The story is told in an unconventional format. Things feel unfinished as the credits role. The characters are introduced to us as they are and it seems by the end they remain just that. No one changes. The title says what the film is. In 1961, this is what it is going on Inside Llewyn Davis.

It's funny. It's sad. It's life. Keep going.