The Ballad of Llewyn Davis

Rating: Null/10 (1 May 2014)

The Coen Brothers' 'Inside Llewyn Davis' follows struggling musician Llewyn Davis, a one-hit wonder that 'faded into oblivion' after the suicide of his singing partner. He's been performing at gigs, as second fiddle , if he's lucky enough but Davis is about to reach that point of realization that his dreams will only be a dream and the lack of stability in his life (no home, no job, no real friends and not even a proper family) will only push him further into darkness.
The film falls on the lines of 'A Single Man'. Here the viewer is accompanied by some fine music and some suitably awful songs. Moreover, the director duo also create a gloomy but equally intriguing atmosphere set in 1961. It's also darkly comic. All the other people Llewyn meets throughout the film are losers too. The only difference is that Llewyn has pretty much lost everything except his love for music while the others lead a relatively more secure life that is equally, if not more, empty.
Oscar Isaac finally gets a role that allows him to showcase his abilities as an actor. He is well supported by John Goodman and Cary Mulligan. The only bad performance comes from Justin Timberlake. He is awful but thankfully he's only there for a limited time.
Whimsical and atmospheric, 'Inside Llewyn Davis' works as both a character study and mood piece. It's lyrical in style and dark in tone but subtle in humour.