THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (2017): A FILM REVIEW
3 billboards outside ebbing Missouri review 5:55:00 PM
The title of this film is weird enough since it's too long and it'd be both so hard and funny if this is to be guessed in a game of charade. One would think the title is chosen because the writer is too lazy to pick something else. Or the title itself may not be as inviting to make audience want to watch. But it'd be such a loss not to watch Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. There's so much reality and foolishness in this film that'd make you want to suggest it to your friends so they'd understand the feeling.
Away from the poetry of Call Me By Your Name, the grandeur of The Shape of Water and the settings of the other Best Picture Nominees I haven't watched yet, I am betting that due to the setup and the timeliness of Three Billboards, this is perhaps the most unsophisticated movie in the Oscars 2018 lineup but is also the most generally relatable.
Three Billboards is unabashed by its plot that centers on the rage of a grieving mother who goes as far as renting three billboards close to each other just outside their town and write on them phrases that are meant to evoke the lack of action of the police force to find the culprit in the murder of her daughter who wasn't just raped but was also burned. Setting up the billboards was a bold move but the town, the way the movie presents it with subtle but relevant social issues that strike a cord especially today, is bolder. There are themes of silence, injustice, prejudice and apathy in almost every scene of this movie. The plot is straight-forward but it's so engaging that viewers would make up stories in their head about what the people of the town of Ebbing are thinking and talking about since not a lot of them are shown in the 2-hour runtime.
While it's been mentioned that the plot is one-dimensional, and platonic most of the time (except for moments with Peter Dinklage [Yep, Tyrion Lannister is here]), it makes sense that the acting here in Three Billboards is probably what drove this film to bag awards left and right. There are three performances from three amazing actors in this movie that are impossible not to discuss.
If Frances McDormand, the main protagonist of this movie, is going to get banned from getting Best Actress Awards from here on, I wouldn't be surprised. She is just unbelievable in all levels. In this film, it's been 7 months or so that justice hasn't been found for the death of her daughter and from the opening scene of the film, you'll see those 7 months on her face. She just brings it scene by scene. In each word she says and doesn't say.
Woody Harrelson, who plays Chief Willoughby, performed here better than he did on The Hunger Games trilogy or Now You See Me. As the chief of the police who has been singled out by the billboards and who has health issues that made the whole town sympathize with him, Harrelson definitely neutralizes everyone inside the film and probably on set. I didn't know Haymitch's voice could be sober and heartwarming at the same until I watched this.
Then we have Sam Rockwell, the one who plays Jason Dixon, the alcoholic, racist and most unstable character in this film, didn't win a Golden Globe, a SAG and an Oscars as Best Supporting Actor for nothing. He is the character in this film that will make you question your judgments about a person who has been problematic all their lives but at times attempt to redeem themselves. Whether he redeems himself or not in this film is subject to a wild discussion but one thing is for sure, he's the biggest reason why Three Billboards becomes cringe-worthy, hilariously funny, irritating and satisfying all at the same time. Yet you wouldn't want to be complaining.
There have been so many things about this movie that were glorified by critics but there are a few things that did not sit well with some viewers. All these, together with the impact that Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has made on protests worldwide (read the news about billboard protests similar to the film), sure indicate that this is a movie we all need today. This movie may not provide resolutions but it sure does provide reasons.#
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@callmenorby
