Inside Llewyn Davis

⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by kaelwilton)

This is a movie that has not left my mind since I watched it a couple of months ago. This movie not only has one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard, but also contains some of the most beautiful, melancholy cinematography I have ever seen, not to mention an amazing performance from Oscar Isaac.

I am a very big fan of the Coen Brothers works so I was expecting to enjoy this movie going in, but I was not expecting to be moved the way that I was. The plot is simple enough, a week in the life of a struggling folk musician navigating his way through Greenwich Village in the early 60s, but the amount of symbolism and metaphors that are present is insane. The movie is pretty depressing at times, but there is humour scattered throughout to keep it from getting too heavy.

The movie may seem unfocused at times, as about halfway through there is a seemingly meaningless detour from the simple plot, but everything works out in the end, and this is the way I think the Coen Brothers intended it.

Once again, the performance from lead actor Oscar Isaac is phenomenal, but performances from John Goodman, Carey Mulligan, and Adam Driver (very briefly) are just as strong. The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful (Oscar Isaac does all of his own singing, and is even accompanied by Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons in one song), and is perfectly fitting for the film.

The only thing preventing this movie from getting a 10/10 is some of the dialogue is pretty weak in the first third of the film, but this is pretty easy to look past. I can not recommend this movie enough