Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri is a must see this season and I might be as bold as to say that it was my favorite movie of the year.
Written and directed by Martin McDonagh (Seven Psychopaths, In Bruges), this film follows one woman’s journey for justice in a small town. The script is bold and full of color for such a heavy handed theme. In a time when writers and directors may feel pressure to be more PC, this movie blows that notion out of the water. It’s offensive, painful and stirring. A truly smart and funny script for such a heavy handed theme.
There wasn’t one character that I didn’t like. Even the ones you’re not supposed to like, you end up siding with, the writing is that exquisite. Sam Rockwell plays a character he has referred to as a cross between Barney Fife and Travis Bickle. It’s an amazing portrayal that fills you with it’s complexities, if he doesn’t get an Oscar nod for his performance, I’ll be surprised.
It would be too easy for Francis McDormand’s character to live in a place of pain and coldness considering what she’s been through in the beginning of the film, but there are moments peppered in throughout that seem to pull her and the audience to a place of real empathy and tenderness, albeit short lived, but they’re fantastic.
Tremendous movie all around, I highly recommend the watch.