The 2010s decade has the fortunate distinction of sitting comfortably within the anniversary period of one of the most celebrated eras in American history. Fifty years ago, John F. Kennedy walked presidential halls, Martin Luther King, Jr. fueled a civil revolution and Americans began to see their hardships in a new light, one in which artistic expression would flourish.
The Coen brothers’ newest film doesn’t reference many, if any, historical events of the 1960s explicitly. Rather, it coasts along a morose, cold 1961 setting in sync with the thematic messages it tries to deliver. More so than any of the Coens’ past films, “Inside Llewyn Davis” is poetry in motion, a folk song told with sadness and struggles that works as well as a period piece of the pre-cultural revolution could hope to be.
Oscar Isaac stars as the woeful Llewyn Davis, a folk singer with prospects not of making it big, but of making it to the next day. Returning from a one-night stint crooning his cover song repertoire at a local bar, Llewyn stays on one of his friend’s couches, an endeavor that repeats throughout the schedule of Llewyn’s mediocre, suitcase-carrying life.
Many of the “friends” Llewyn encounters along the scope of the film are naturally troubled by his presence and further troubled by his demeanor, which often approaches arrogant. Jean and Jim Berkey (Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake) reflect the side of folk singing that Llewyn continuously loses out to – a perfected, clean-cut duo that encourages audiences to listen with their enlightened appearance and harmonies.
Jean is troubled by past sexual relations she had with Llewyn, providing for a dark subplot early in the film. But as Llewyn goes through his days, jumping on each opportunity that passes him by, independent of the odds of his possible success, he swiftly leaves the film’s other characters behind, continuing on to pass his troubles to new individuals.
In such a way, “Inside Llewyn Davis” has a wealth of supporting characters without strong supporting roles. John Goodman, for example, performs his heart out as disabled traveler Roland Turner, who ruffles up Llewyn as much as possible from the backseat of a ride across the northeastern United States. Yet, even Roland, a bitter, storytelling maverick, is lost in the shuffle, left behind in the dust of the troubles that plague Llewyn on a daily basis.
As such, “Inside Llewyn Davis” is, in the end, a story of one man’s fruitless journey around New York, a sorrowful tale that strikes every emotional chord on Llewyn’s guitar. The Coens capture their setting in spot-on fashion, controlling the environments of their film with the accuracy they’re known for, creating woeful backdrops even when Llewyn seems to find a silver lining among the snowy muck.
The soundtrack, a composition of folk covers akin to the time period, beautifully layers the film’s melancholy with mournful tunes. Supervised by T-Bone Burnett, known for previously producing the award-winning soundtrack for the Coen brothers’ “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” the Americana music of “Inside Llewyn Davis” is nothing short of invigorating, resonating with each subtle tone.
As a work comparable to others among the Coens’ catalog, “Inside Llewyn Davis” resembles their best works, but with a more refined direction. Though the ephemeral struggles Llewyn faces may not be as accessible as they first appear, it’s the journey as a whole that leads somewhere truly delightful.
The result is a delicate piece of somber drama with enough dark comedy to blend satisfyingly into the mix. The Coens’ folkish reflection will quietly come into awards season as an emotional undercurrent to many of the louder films at the end of such a chaotic movie year, and gratifyingly so to those viewers the brothers will affect this holiday season.