He lives for the applause, applause, applause

Inside Llewyn Davis

Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen Writers: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen Starring: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund Runtime: 111 minutes Certification: R (USA) Rating: 4/5

Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) may be a talented performer with the voice of an angel, but his commercial viability simply isn’t there, it seems. Wandering around the cold winter streets of New York in the 1960s trying to catch some sort of a lucky break in the notoriously tough music industry, Llewyn is a lonely, hopeful wannabe who doesn’t belong. Couch-hopping in his friends’ flats has become a daily routine for the struggling artist, and a string of bad lucks that finds him over the next few days makes him question whether it is really worth sticking with his dream and ambition of becoming a successful recording artist. The new film from the Coen brothers is certainly as funny as it is tragic. Llewyn starts the day by losing his friend’s cat, then he’s informed by his married lover (Carey Mulligan — on entertainingly fiery form) that she’s pregnant, needing an abortion he’s going to have to pay for. He’s not getting enough gigs to support himself, there is a huge box of his recorded singles that failed to sell and probably never will, and his music manager doesn’t seem too bothered with him and advancing his career. As he travels through the folk music scene, the audience is in for the journey of a lifetime; with the nostalgic period mood, backed by some outstanding songs, all sung live by the actors themselves (who knew Isaac could sing this well?), the Coens introduce us to a world and a genre of music you probably never knew existed but will embrace whole-heartedly. Lots of humour follow as everything slowly but surely falls apart for our protagonist - but this is laughter coming from the most natural, everyday places, not having to force the characters into bizarre or unconvincing scenarios in any way. It’s Llewyn’s ‘Odyssey’ (the name Ulysses even pops up once), as he encounters friends, enemies and strangers over the course of a few days, and at the heart of all this Isaac is fantastic. Llewyn has the musical talent for sure, but years of very little success has forced him to cope with so much, and the tired frustration of a meandering artist is shown brilliantly by the actor. There is also more to be told when it comes to why he’s now a solo act. It’s touching, and Isaac’s performance makes this sub-plot ever more effective. Inside Llewyn Davis shows the inevitable path unknown artists will eventually have to walk through. Having to face the realities of life, making the tough compromises and sacrifices is difficult to face up to, and Llewyn’s dreams and ambitions are what make it all the more challenging to stomach. The Coens are certainly in a low mood, but they go about it with perfectly timed humour, involving drama, and incredible performances to somewhat ease the pain.