Inside Llyewn Davis

Have the Coen Brothers made their finest movie yet? Inside Llewyn Davis is a stunning movie, combining some of the finest qualities of their earlier features. There are overtones of A Serious Man and Barton Fink and while the Homer’s Odyssey structure recalls O Brother, Where Art Thou?. This is a cinematic love ballad about lost characters and dashed dreams. It seems to embody Bob Dylan’s quote that, “There’s no success like failure. And failure’s no success at all.”

Unfolding against the early ’60s New York folk scene, Oscar Isaac is a revelation as the titular Llewyn, loosely based on balladeer and folk revival mainstay Dave Van Ronk. Self-absorbed, casually cruel and bitter about his lack of success, Llewyn craves success yet has no idea how to achieve it. He’s a bit of an antihero: listless, commitment-phobic, a couch-surfing advantage taker. But, as the movie makes clear, he casts a spell with his voice, both angelic and soulful. You understand his frustration: this music deserves to be heard.

From the beautiful wintry cinematography to T Bone Burnett’s exquisite soundtrack, Inside Llewyn Davis casts quite a spell. However, there’s also an abundance of sly, salty humour, not least from Carey Mulligan as Llewyn’s scorned former lover, and John Goodman, munching on the scenery as a cantankerous blues man.