Inside Llewyn Davis
2013
****
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, Justin Timberlake, Adam Driver, Stark Sands, Ethan Phillips, Robin Bartlett
Following the death of his musical partner, folk singer Llewyn Davis' solo career doesn't seem to take off. He has made a series of poor personal and professional choices, and now the chickens are coming home to roost. This delightfully understated film by the Coen brothers is like a cross between A Serious Man and O' Brother Where Art Thou?. Like the former, it's a story set in the 1960s about a man who is down on his luck. Like the latter, Llewyn's dreamy journey echoes Homer's Odyssey - there's even a cat named Ulysses. All the characters are beautifully drawn, but Oscar Isaac gives a standout performance in the title role. The actors perform their own songs, which gives the film added rawness and authenticity.
