Inkblot 2019 Summer

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
(2017), directed as well as written by Martin
McDonagh, is a drama imbued with dark comedy.
Some other films by McDonagh that many
may be familiar with are In Bruges and Seven
Psychopaths. Set in a small town in Missouri,
the story follows Mildred Hayes whose daughter,
seven months ago, was raped and murdered. The
mother is extremely angry, as no culprit or suspect
has been found, so she decides to set matters
into her own hands. She installs three billboards
that question the police and their inadequacy
in doing their jobs and finding the murderer.
The billboards arouse controversy, and it’s as if
Mildred is going to war with the whole town,
especially the police.
There are many reasons I believe this movie is
brilliant. Of course, one of the reasons is the
outstanding performances from the actors,
especially Frances McDormand, who is taking
the lead role, Woody Harrelson (chief of police),
and Sam Rockwell (officer Jason Dixon). There is
also some spectacular acting by the less central
characters, such as the “town midget,” as he calls
himself, played by Peter Dinklage and Dixon’s
mother played by Sandy Martin.
Aside for the performance itself, the character of
Mildred is especially powerful. She is a mother
who, throughout the whole movie, maintains this
incredible strength that is sustained by her anger
and her need to find justice for her daughter. At
times, she can be not only intimidating but also
straight out scary. She is willing to go to extremes
that create a sense of discomfort, even in the audience
who is on her side. Her determined nature
is intertwined with this motherly vulnerability
that not only creates a more three-dimensional
character but also creates a dark and devastating
atmosphere for the film in general. Another especially
unique character is officer Dixon, who from
the audience’s point of view, is a perfectly “hateable”
police officer. He not only says incredibly
offensive things but also does some horrifying
things that make you wonder, “How in the world
do such bigots and abominable creatures still exist
in the world?”
Now in most movies that would be it; that would
be the whole character.
However, in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,
Missouri, there is no black and white. We like
to categorize people, opinions, points of views,
etc. in either black or white and good or bad.
The movie extensively explores this gray area,
which many filmmakers (or people in general)
avoid. Without giving out too many spoilers, all
I will say is that there are really clever twists in
narrative that create some unexpected character
arcs and turns in the story. As an avid film geek,
I am used to predicting storylines, twist endings,
or anything about the story. My predictions
are frequently correct, as many movies can be
predictable or follow similar patterns and story
developments. This doesn’t necessarily mean
that the film is bad or cliché, though. However,
every time I tried to predict something in Three
Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, I would
be wrong and the story would somehow take an
unforeseen turn.
The only negative thing I have to say about this
film is the acting of this one specific character.
Lucas Hedges acts as the mother’s son in the film,
and there was some shockingly horrible acting.
I found myself in disbelief, as I couldn’t for a
second be convinced of anything he was trying
to portray as an actor. Perhaps, maybe this was
because I naturally saw the huge contrast with the
other performers.
Finally, the writing in the film itself was remarkable.
The sharp, quick-witted screenplay created
the perfect “small American town” atmosphere.
It was fresh and contained some risky, “daring”
jokes that worked, especially in the film’s context.
I felt like it delves into some bold topics such as
police brutality and law enforcement in general,
which many, nowadays especially, stray away
from. Some critics complain about the “vile”
language in the film or the unnecessary violence.
I don’t agree with these critics, however. If swear
words could be considered poetry, then this film
has definitely achieved that. Everything works so
smoothly together to create this rugged, claustrophobic
feeling of being trapped with anger, grief,
and sorrow with a bleakly humorous edge. The
movie itself has already won numerous awards
and gotten plenty of nominations (including a
few Oscar nominations). This film is definitely
one of the best from 2017.
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