Unpredictability is something rarely found in films

Rating: 9/10 (30 January 2018)

Three Billboards is wonderfully unique in the way that it could change my mind about characters and expectations of the plot multiple times during the film. The audience is always guessing, never sure of where it will go next. It is better to go into this film and know as little as possible about its story so its twists and turns can have their full surprising impact. So it's your choice as to whether to even bother reading on.
Three billboards in short is the story of an angry bereaved mother who demands the attention of the local police through her provocative billboards. The story begins and wastes no time within the first ten minutes establishing Frances McDormand's character Mildred, the rape and murdered of her daughter and Mildred's outrage at local police's lack of action. Admittedly, I wondered how the next hour and forty-five minutes could be filled if it continued being so succinct. However, it morphs from black comedy, to emotional drama, to crime mystery so you're always wondering where the story will go next. Moreover, the film didn't stick to the perspective to one character adding to its unpredictability.
There was brilliant complexity in each of the characters. Audiences are shown many aspects of each of their lives. This gives the characters you would in any other film hate more depth forcing you to empathise and change your first opinions of them. There was real humanity in each person no fake perfection everyone was morally ambiguous. It is incredibly well cast but the stand out has to be McDormand's performance and the way she delivers her acidic retorts to anyone questioning Mildred's behaviour. She brings mostly fiery anger but is equally successful in giving glimpses of Mildred's sensitivity and pain. Sam Rockwell (Dixon) and Woody Harrelson (Willoughby) also give great performances because as a viewer you want to dislike them but you are made to soften towards them the more you find out.
It is astounding to me that this is only Martin McDonagh's third feature film he has directed himself. However, he was also the writer which I think was greatly beneficial as he knew best how to direct the cast with his own script resulting in artful performances. The dialogue in this movie can be angry, witty, clever and very human. Of course, any viewer would never forget Mildred's shocking but hilarious speech to a priest leaving him lost for words. A real highlight.
To write any more would be to spoil such a rare example of an unpredictable film. My concluding thoughts on the film were the overarching messages. I felt what came through very clearly was the theme of anger and how no character's life was in any way improved through acts of anger. No character won or ended up in a better situation than any other. The whole film was entirely ambiguous and left open for the audience to ponder upon. Nothing was neatly tied up or resolved.