Inside Llewyn Davis
is probably the most depressing movie I've ever seen.
I don't usually go for depressing movies. I saw Schindler's List, but that's at least got Schindler trying to save people. Life is Beautiful was light at times, but god, the ending. As endings go, Ethan Frome has it beat. And lets not even talk about addiction movies. The one scene of Requiem for a Dream I've seen (if you're
wondering, its the one with Jennifer Connelly and another woman entertaining a
circle of yelling men) was dark enough I didn't want to go back and watch the rest.
Inside Llewyn Davis isn't
depressing like those movies. There's no big villain, like the Nazis, killing innocents, no
addictions, no accidents of fate. There are just the everyday blues. But unlike
everyday life, there's no hint of sunshine, literally and figuratively (the
movie takes place in New York City in the winter). The literal lack of sunshine
didn't bother me so much as the complete lack of anything good in this movie.
Maybe good isn't the right word. The acting is good. The
music is sublime. More impressive, all the music was recorded live; Oscar Isaac
really is that talented (and is also now one of my many celebrity husbands). The
cinematography is lovely and gray. There's a cat. A couple of them, actually. And there are funny moments. I actually laughed out loud a couple of times. But the story itself is unrelentingly sad. Llewyn is
undeniably talented, but its like he really is the Midas of shit (as Carry
Mulligan's character tells him). Nothing, abolsutely nothing goes right for him. He reacts like anyone might in the face
of such a hostile universe: with hostility right back. And so the cycle of shit
continues. For two hours.
The only light is the music, but its not doing what's its
supposed to do for Llewyn, which is make him money. And so eventually, even
that sours. That's what makes this movie so depressing, I think. Llewyn isn't
willing to compromise his musical integrity and he's so talented that he
shouldn't have to. But that's not how the real world works and its certainly
not how the world in the movie works.
What really bothered me just how often negative shit
seemed to happen. And only negative
shit. When the end of the movie rolled around, it was like "that's it?
Coen brothers, you're just going to show me two hours of unhappiness, and
that's it? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT?" Don't get me wrong, I get that not
everything is unicorns and rainbows and puppies and shit. But there just wasn't
any point to this negative shit, there wasn't any story. Llewyn ends up exactly
where he started, only with a lot of depressing shit in between. And sorry,
that just isn't very compelling. I'm a little tired of the "life is shit,
doesn't that suck?" story. Try a little harder.
Please, if you really liked Inside Llewyn Davis for the story and not the gorgeous music,
lovely cinematography, or general design of the movie, tell me why. Because as
of right now, its the most depressing movie I've ever seen.
Continued from Facebook: I did like the things you mentioned that were good, but I also liked the gritty feel to it, Llewyn's character in contrast to the cartoonish people around him, and the consistency of the negative traits of his character (and how realistic that consistency is.) I would also argue that he is not in exactly the same place as he started. From the time he wakes up to the cat in his friend's house to his getting punched in the alley, his way of living and behavior catch up to him, coming to a head and forcing a few changes on him. He wants to quit, but doesn't. Even though the reason he doesn't is just desperation, he still performs again. He's scrappy, and his sense of self-preservation makes him muddle on. And the second time he left his friend's apartment, he blocked the cat. It's a small change. not a dramatic epiphany, but he did learn a lesson and applied it. I read that as suggestive of his journey having an affect on him, even if there is no other outward appearance of it. His warmhearted friends also forgave him and welcomed him back to their home, and he was relieved and grateful. Then he gave a soulful performance after a terrible week and gets beaten up for being a dick (which he deserved.) Maybe he learns something from that and maybe not, but he does say "see you around" (or something like that.) So I imagine he's sticking it out in the folk scene, whereas a day before he was ready to quit completely and go back to the military.
ReplyDeleteI've likewise found Llewyn terribly depressing, but I also loved the movie. In the end, a story either work for you or it doesn't. It's like chemistry with another person. But I'll try to explain why I loved this particular story.
ReplyDeleteFirst, pretty much every story concept has been done. "Life is terrible" is not new, but a story is more than a sum of plot and skill. The exact same concept could be executed brilliantly or poorly, and the Coen brothers rarely misfire.
I think the key to the story is the conversation between Llewyn and Jean (Carrie Mulligan) at the cafe. She tells him that he brings all these terrible things on himself because he wants them, and things continue on this way because he wants them to continue. Extra bonus of this conversation is that Jean basically explains the time structure of the movie, which loops on itself.
What separates Llewyn from the rest is not just his talent, but also his music. His songs are raw, vulnerable, fatally honest. In contrast, the rest of the musicians are cartoonish (Al Cody), poser (Jim and the guys in sweaters), and downright vile and deranged (Roland Turner). Their music may be good, but it lacks the vulnerability and grit of Llewyn's. Jean might be the only one in the whole movie, aside from Llewyn, who actually gets this difference.
In this universe, music is the manifestation of the person, inescapably so. So Llewyn Davis is a heartbreak. He is as flawed as he is brilliant. It's not that life is terrible, it's that Llewyn is a tragic, and he's too principled to walk away from who he is.
So there's my view of the story. The writing is also technically amazing. I love the time loop construction, that images and elements are used conservatively but effectively, that the more I thought about the movie, the more it unfolded in my mind, that nothing in the story is embellished or made outrageous yet it still weighs you down like a bag of bricks.
Well I wrote a long-ish reply, but then the internet ate it. Will try to summarize.
ReplyDeleteI think the key of the story is the conversation between Llewyn and Jean at the cafe. She basically tells him that terrible things happen to him, and continue to happen to him, because he wants them that way. Llewyn's life is a reflection of who he is. (Bonus - she also reveals the time loop structure of the story.)
The second part is that Llewyn's music is also a manifestation of who he is. His songs are raw, vulnerable, heartbreaking. The rest of the musicians are phony and cartoonish - their playing and their harmonies may be perfect, but they don't wear their hearts on their sleeves quite like Llewyn does. That is what sets him apart - not just his talent.
His music is Llewyn, and Llewyn is his life. "Hang me, oh hang me, and I'll be dead and gone. I wouldn't mind the hangin', just laying in the grave so long." Indeed.
I also think the technical construction of the story was excellent. I love the time loop. I love that the images and story elements are used sparingly but effectively. That the story is subdued, and nothing really outrageous happens. That they accomplished so much emotion with so little actually being said and happening. That many of the relationships are complex, meaningful, and deeply flawed.