Review of Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) by Al M — 18 Mar 2014

A more sombre Coen Brothers film that still features its moments of humor and oddity, Inside Llewyn Davis is a film that perfectly circles back on itself and explores the life of a Dylanesque folk singer in 1961 New York striving to achieve his dream of being a folk singer, a dream that will free him from former jobs in which he was merely "existing.".

As that term suggests, Inside Llewn Davis is a profoundly existential film akin to other Coen Brothers fare like A Serious Man and The Man Who Wasn't There but less subdued and strictly realistic than those films. It is about someone seeking to define there essence, someone who can't connect effectively with those around him except when he's performing.

Featuring absolutely amazing music and performances, Inside Llewyn Davis also perfectly encapsulates a moment in which music profoundly changed. Set in 1961 before the first releases of the great 60s triumvirate (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan), it examines someone who, like Dylan, refused to conform to popular expectations but instead sought the serious roots of folk music to develop their own style and voice. It is a film about finding a means of expression no matter what the cost, of rebelling against expectations, and of dealing with the ghosts that haunt us.

Absolutely riveting and emotional from beginning to end, Inside Llewn Davis ranks high in Coen Brothers' oeuvre as one of their true masterpieces.