A melancholy but subtly humorous character study

Rating: 7/10 (14 November 2014)

I've been a longtime admirer of the Coen Brothers, and they have made some of my favorite films. Still, most of them have been accessible in some way. This one was quite a hard nut to crack. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS is a loose story about a down-on-his-luck singer named Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac). To name a few problems, his former musical partner committed suicide, one of his sexual flings is pregnant and it may or may not be his, and he was recently let go from his record company. In other words, life is hard for him. To make matters worse, he isn't too sympathetic of a character either. His go-it-alone nature and tendency to speak his mind get him into hot water with a whole host of people he meets over the course of the film. And yet he keeps on going, devoted to pursuing his chosen profession. That was my way in, and what eventually helped me get into the movie. Despite what life threw at him, he never gave up. Not only that, but there were some truly soul-stirring songs peppered throughout which helped to lighten the mood, even if they did describe things like saying farewell and being hanged. I also enjoyed the color palette and general visual aesthetic of the film. It was almost like chiaroscuro with muted blues, grays and browns. Also, like most Coen Brothers films, this was a comedy, although there was more of a greater tragic/melancholy tone this time around. The closest comparison I can make is with their previous effort A SERIOUS MAN, which dealt with similar themes of a man against the world and falling victim to circumstance. However, LLEWYN DAVIS is played straighter and has a more uplifting resolution, if one can call it that. Overall, though my patience was tested at times, it was rewarded somewhat in the end. As far as technical filmmaking quality and the performers/performances involved, this some of the Coens' best work, even if it was a little dense for me at first. This probably isn't the best film for Coen Brothers initiates, but for seasoned viewers I feel like this could hold something special. In fact, I'll probably get more out of a second or third watch myself. Recommended, with some reservations.