“Inside Llewyn Davis” is as hard to watch as it is to pry your eyes from. It is this contradiction that is at the heart of this film and what makes it so great.
The setting is Greenwich Village in 1961 during the time of folk music in coffee houses where artists such as Bob Dylan and Dave Von Ronk (who, I read, is the inspiration for this story) cut their teeth and developed their talent. We all know what happened to Dylan but Von Ronk was lesser known and his elusive search for credibility and success are similar to Oscar Isaac’s Llewyn in this film from the Coen Brothers.
The period detail is quite nice invoking a cold, desolate Greenwich Village in the early 60’s that is as unforgiving and unfriendly as it is frigid. The folk music numbers throughout the film are interesting and lovely. Oscar Isaac is a great performer and is totally convincing with his finger-picking guitar-playing as a fully, living and breathing folk singer right out of that era. But, as his knocked-up friend’s wife (Carey Mulligan) iterates, he is “an asshole” and he doesn’t provide much to like in his performance nor as the character is written.
This is part road movie too with a journey to Chicago that includes meeting some interesting characters (John Goodman) along the way and an audition that despite an engaging, worthy performance is deemed unprofitable by F. Murray Abraham’s Bud Grossman, a club-owner/producer.
This is not an easy film to like because it doesn’t have a central character that you can really cheer for. Its cold climate is almost inhospitable and you can almost feel the howling wind seeping through Llewyn’s inadequate jacket. Its not a very enjoyable film to watch but you have to admire it and savour it like a cold, cold beverage as it rolls along.
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