An Ode to Fargo

Rating: 10/10 (8 October 2013)

This film, in a nutshell, is about a lot of nasty things that happen in a deep, dark, slow cold world, and how this sleepy town, locked in time and beauty and its own atmosphere responds to it in its own way. However saying JUST this is sacrilege and I am doing no justice to the masterpiece whatsoever.
The key is atmosphere.
Take the never-ending cold bleak landscape starkly contrasted with constantly dripping bright red blood. This captures the mood of the film in such eloquence, that little else need be said. Killers, victims, accidents, cops and corpses, all converge on this little known town's highway, and what fate is doled out to everyone is juxtaposed against this brilliant backdrop as a silhouette, almost like the senseless bloodbath and atrocious accidents that occur plus all the deft detective work are means to this end, somehow adding up to the white expanse as an answer. To me, this concept is nothing short of fantastic.
And then, the cast. Frances McDormand is undoubtedly the crowning glory of the whole piece as far as characters go, a striking picture that can be conjured up in an instant in memory - contained, affected, with a singsong accent and very pregnant. Everything she goes about is so characteristic - her pace, her actions and the way she emotes is all reminiscent of the cold and sleepy bleakness around her, and makes a sharp impression in the whole experience. In a way, one could say she seamlessly blends into the atmosphere and is like one born of it, furthering it in its own slow grinding way. Also deserving an honourable mention is Steve Buscemi, in a perfect portrayal of an agent fruitlessly battling against the natural order and shape of things - a perfect example of how small irregularities in this ingrown world have a way of ironing themselves out. He plans; he plots but ends up in a wood chipper, while the snow engulfs all.
But one of the most effective and mind-blowing aspects of the film is the soundtrack. It is pretty much evident how much background score contributes to the totality of a film, and I have always been a believer in soundtracks that have different versions of a predominant motif which serve as the signature for the film, rather than an eclectic mix of contemporary music. A good soundtrack is something that evokes powerful snapshots from the film when it plays in your mind. For me, the distinctive, haunting bleak bagpipe like slow rendition of the Norweigian folk song "The Lost Sheep", or natively "Den Bortkomne Sauen" is the landscape, the mood, the events - everything. The film artistically keeps returning to the piece in a way that leaves an indelible impression. It is like topping, a summary, everything you wanted to say about Fargo. And boy, how it does hit the final nail in the coffin...
The picture in my mind when I hear it is that of the lone car driving away into the vastness of snow on the highway. That's when things are done and resolved, and all is said and understood.
~cinecopia.wordpress.com