The Human Side of the Small Town

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2018)

I'm not really all that sure why I went and saw this film, but from the trailers it sounded interesting, and also somewhat dark, and funny, at the same time (a black comedy if you will). The first thing that I should mention is that I haven't seen a film like this for a while, where the ending is incredibly ambiguous (as it should be), and that it doesn't follow the average Hollywood cookie cutter format. Okay, while I'm not as much into independent films as I used to be, seeing something that is a little different once in a while does break the monotony of what happens to be a steadily degrading trend in modern movies.
The film is about a mother who lost her daughter when she was raped and murdered on her way home. This is small town America in the deep south, so you could say that the average educational level of most people here is not very high, and it certain shows it. In fact, until another police officer arrives from out of town, you could say that the average intelligence of this place is not incredibly high. However, this isn't a film where we end up laughing at 'stupid' people because we happen to be intellectual snobs, but rather a film that takes us on a journey through their lives and discover that even though they may be nothing like us educated city dwellers, they are still humans with hurts and fears just like us.
Frustrated as the fact that the police are doing very little to progress the case, our protagonist, Mildred, has an idea - she rents three billboards on the outskirts of the town along a stretch of road that basically only she uses. She then pastes some simple messages challenging the police as to why they haven't caught anybody yet. This, not surprisingly, causes a bit of a stir in the town, and in a way it seems that she is the only person who is frustrated by the lack of action, or convictions, because the town seems to be siding with the police. Well, once again not surprising considering the chief is not only well respected, but also dying of cancer.
This film touches on few ideas, including the limits of police power and the desire of a victim or their relatives wanting to see justice down. As the police chief says: sometimes it is just impossible to find the culprit, and they may go for years not knowing anything until somebody over hears a braggart in a diner and the culprit is suddenly arrested. In a way this shows the dichotomy of humans, in that on one hand they want protections against police abusing their power, but for the police to have unlimited power when they become the victim. As long as it is somebody else that is being chased then that is okay.
The other thing that struck me is the human element of the film. Sure, this is set in a very conservative part of the United States, a place where outsiders and people of colour are still treated with suspicion. Yet what we are struck with is the human side of these people, how they love and cry, how they hurt, and fight against each other. It is easy for us to simply write of this section of society as a bunch of idiots who have no idea about the problems that the world is facing, yet they are still human. In a way this film is attempting to bridge that gap between the left and the right, the intellectuals and the average Republican voter. It is easy for us to look down on them, and we certainly do, making accusations such as them voting against their own interests, and destroying the American state. Yet they are people, and it is easy for us to forget their humanity.
One thing that stands out is their ability to forgive, and this is something that many of us on the left really don't know how do to. There are events in this film that would raise the ire of many, and leave to a long lasting split in friendships, yet it seems that the one thing that they seek is to mend those friendships. Somebody gets thrown out of a window in a fit on anger, yet the victim forgives the person who throws him out of the window, even though no apology was offered. In a way there is too much hate in this world, and not enough forgiveness. In one sense, by reaching out, offering a hand of friendship, and showing somebody that we forgive we can start to heal some of those wounds, and in turn seek a way forward.