Review of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) by Random V — 10 Dec 2017

Poignant, provocative, touching, funny, and even mean-mean spirited are great descriptions for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. These descriptions can also apply to Mildred (deftly played by Frances McDormand), a woman bent on uncovering the truth in a horrible tragedy that claimed the life of her (she got it honestly) angry daughter. To be frank, this film doesn't forge through its material with a PC touch and it goes for the raw, offensive nerve in just about every situation. This is actually one of the film's strengths, as it posits a volatile town where there are still tensions (a fleeting reflection of true Americana in its current political climate). The police are portrayed as bumbling, bad men (all white) until their onion is peeled back to reveal layers of complexity, even with some of the more rotten badge-holders (Rockwell in particular, turning in a delightfully offensive performance). It is chief Willoghby (an amazing Harrelson) that actually lends the local police its strong, moral backbone. It is clear that he sees the good in his patrolmen, which is why some of them are still employed. He also is nearing the end of his life which also suggests that he just doesn't really care to bother with new hires considering how much time he has left. And yet, when the Billboards go up, he is the least offended even though he is singled out. They spark an interest in taking another look. Meanwhile, the billboards spark all sorts of ugliness for most of the other characters.

A final thought, and hopefully I can leave it without spoilers. The billboards, while blatantly targeting the police, may also serve another purpose for Mildred. A sense of redemption by way of the heat she receives for putting them up in the first place, perhaps the billboards are also a way to help her overcome her own grief and guilt in her daughter's gruesome demise. It's worth the viewing to see the complexities of guilt at multiple levels amongst multiple characters, and the varying ways these characters confront it.