★★★★½

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Written by Dalton Welsh - May 26, 2020

The Coen Brothers are responsible for some of the greatest films of the modern era and lauded by many a film fan. One of their more underrated films, that should be spoken in the same vein as “Fargo” and “The Big Lebowski”, is 2013’s “Inside Llewyn Davis”. Following a week in the life of a struggling folk artist in the 1960s as he attempts to maintain his artistic independence against the commercial needs of the music industry. Here, we experience a more subdued film from the Coen Brothers. It feels warm and cozy yet still poignantly impassioned, indicative of the folk music that entwines the film.

One of the more noticeable factors of the film is its visual aesthetic. Bruno Delbonnel took the reins of the cinematography as the Coen brothers’ usual D.O.P Roger Deakins was already at work on another film. This gives the film a refreshingly different look to the rest of the Coen brothers’ filmography. Delbonnel endows the film with a wispy washed out look with a flat use of lighting, which may sound detrimental to the film but surprisingly works in its’ favour. While some may see this stylistic choice as a distraction, it goes a long way to conveying the cold of the New York winter and the drab melancholy life of the film’s eponymous protagonist. Llewyn Davis is a very lifeless character who has very little in the way of joy in his life outside of his music, even then his songs are noticeably grief-stricken. So, these dreary somber visuals do a wonderful job of communicating this. This isn’t to say the visuals aren’t still expertly crafted, making particularly great use of composition.

The film almost solely concerns itself with the journey of Llewyn and it makes efficient work of conveying the kind of person he is. Stubborn, pessimistic and at times inconsiderate he finds solace through his folk music. Simply by the subtle changing temperament of Oscar Isaac’s performance we can see a change in this emotionally flawed character. While he may come across unlikeable at times, we can sympathise with him due to his frustrated and unstable state. Throughout the film he seems to be an almost emotionless person, but the emotion shines through in his music, his consistently stoic nature making the rare scenes of genuine feeling all the more moving and resonant.

Isaac has the incredibly hefty task of carrying the film and he portrays the character with such believability that Llewyn feels like a real person. On top of this he performs all of his own music in the film, conveying a great sense of sentimentality as he does so. The whole soundtrack consists of folk music, the composer of which being T Bone Burnett, who is most well known for his work with Bob Dylan. Having a soundtrack that consists of lyric centric songs as opposed to more traditional instrumental scores is rarely done tastefully, often feeling quite tacky. But the songs created for the film do such a great job of creating an audible interpretation of the films themes that it is hard to imagine it being done differently. The melancholic folk music imbuing us with an even greater sense of the stunted, depressed state of our protagonist.

The film has quite little in the way of plot, as it is much more a study of Llewyn Davis as a character. This heavier attention on character as opposed to heightened filmic story not only allows the Coen Brothers to give further development to Llewyn Davis, but also makes his journey feel more grounded, real and candidly rousing. While it can at times feel a little too dreary, it is elevated by a unique and purposeful visual style, and emotionally affecting and memorable music to accompany. A fine addition to the already prolific filmography of these two directing giants.