Outstanding movie with heart and a dark sense of comedy

Rating: 9/10 (13 January 2019)

Don't know if it is a stroke of genius or not, but grieving mother Mildred puts up three big billboards questioning the police about the murder and rape of her daughter. That is how Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri starts. Events soon develop, both predictable, like the local police reacting and other more surprising twists and turns. In this story, where facts are few and hard to come by, emotions and reactions are key. But, as it seldon is with emotions, it is not that easy. Mildred is not the only one with grief, heartache and a hard life to handle, and everyone is dealing with it in their own ways. Mildred's billboards just starts the chain reaction.
A deeply rich and dark tale, not without it's own peculiar sense of humor (the movie is labelled as a comedy, although I am not sure if I would stretch it that far. More of a drama to me). The jokes are lifelines in a tale that would otherwise be unbearably dark. But the story is much more than the jokes. There are several storylines, many characters have their own, that intertwine and cross each other. It gives a complex, and many times suprising, twists and developments. The characters are full of their own history and agendas, and no character is a saint or hero, neither villain nor monster.
The cast has been awarded many prizes, deservedly so. Harrelson's character Willoughby might be my favourite, but there are many others, too many to mention. But they do have a rich material to work with, and well directed by McDonagh (his movies is worth keeping a look out for - peculiar as they are in their own ways).
It is a movie that engages fully. Thoughts, reactions and emotions flow as the story unfold. And a little laughter now and then. Highly recommended.