Almost there

Rating: 8/10 (22 August 2019)

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
RATING: 4.3/5
The movie starts off at a good, steady pace, and then escalates little by little as it progresses. You're presented with this mother, who's daughter was raped and murdered, and the case has gone unsolved for months, so you think it's a murder mystery. As the movie goes on, you start to notice that you're following some pretty angry characters that don't know how to deal with the reality that has become of their lives. Yes, the murder is there in the background, but what you're really seeing is how this deep loss and anger affects the lead character and the people around her. Hell, she even drags some people down into her own anger as you watch them try to deal with situations in their own angry ways, and see how it ripples across the small town they're in. Once i realized that, the movie became pretty interesting to me, since their actions became more and more self destructive, and i wanted to see how far they'd take it.
This is very much a character driven piece and there's a lot of great acting going around. I honestly can't think of a single bad performance. There are some black supporting characters in the background, but they're really only there to establish that the town is a little backwards with some racist undertones. There's no KKK and the movie isn't trying to preach to you about race, it's just trying to let you know more about the town itself. They're small scenes and pretty subtle for a movie like this, but i can see how someone might take offense at first by jumping to conclusions.
I went into this movie cold and ended up leaving pleasantly surprised and a little disappointed at the way the whole thing ended. That's really the only negative thing i can say about it without nitpicking. The film ends on this ambiguous, typical indie style movie ending, and you just kinda feel cheated. You've been with these characters, seeing their anger and their actions grow and grow. You think it's all coming to a head, something that was looking to be a really satisfying ending. I was so onboard with what was about to go down and then the movie just ends. I was left sitting there thinking, "Where the hell is my payoff???" That's probably the films biggest mistake that stops it from being a great movie, and leaves it in "really good" territory. That being said, I think it's definitely worth a watch, for the great performances alone, if you get a chance.