Anger truly begets more anger

Rating: 7/10 (8 January 2018)

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: Written and Directed by Martin McDonagh
This movie had me at a bit of a crossroads. My initial reaction to it was one of pure hatred. I was angry at the ending. I was angry at what went down. What made me so angry? Could it be that I too was looking for answers where there were no answers to find? This is about a woman who rents out three billboards calling out the police department of her town after her daughter's murder case goes cold. You might think this is about finding out who this girl's killer was and bringing some closure to this family. This is not it. This woman's confrontational attitude brings out this side of people she's probably known her whole life. They feel the need to defend the police and fight right back against her. Mind you this is a woman who lost her daughter in a most horrific way trying to maintain some semblance of sanity while continuing to raise her son. Should they be angry at her about this? Her anger is justified. Her grief is important. The police chief understands this.
This is not what you might think this movie is at first glance. It is a swirl of emotions, both complex and raw. It took me some time to digest it after the fact to really get a good grip on it. The performances are superb. You love people and you hate them. You think you understand them but then the movie shows you just another side of them. They are complex, well rounded performances full of depth.
There is a point in the movie where things do go off the rail but I believe escalation is part of the theme running through the story's DNA. You might have suspend just a bit more disbelief.
I give this movie a B.