I cannot recall another instance of a director collaboration like the Cohen brothers. Do they never get fed up with each other? I know they are brothers and all, but still!. They seem like a pair of siamese twins merged in the same mental space and unable to disconnect to go do different things if you get my meaning. And maybe that is a good thing. They have their particular style and moviegoers have come to expect a certain style and humour in their movies and they keep delivering.
This movie takes you inside a wannabe solo folk singer, trying to break through, after he lost his singing partner. It is set in the legendary New York Greenwich Village (mostly) and revolves around the joint The Gaslight, which has become famous for being the place that launched Bob Dylan. There are several references to Dylan like llewyns brown jacket and wild curly hair, reminiscing the album "Freewheelin´" There is a faint and gentle hint at this being a time of change (Dylan pun intended), with references to Kennedy first of all, but more powerful are the references to old music. The oldschool folk singers, the selfabsorbed jazz musician, the old and mouldy managers and producers etc. They are going down the dustbin and llewyn instinctively knows this but he is economically dependant on them. There is no reference to rock n roll though, for a good reason, because that would later be what killed the folk scene (again a reference to Dylan)
At the end of the movie you realize that this is not a linear but rather a circular story. A few scenes at the start repeats at the end in slightly different versions. Off course this is important for understanding the theme of the movie exactly because of the small differences. These are supposed to hint at the development of the character and ultimately a comment on development of yourself. In my opinion this movie is about realizing your potential both for the good and for the bad - and then getting ahead. You have to realize the reality of your situation or you will be stuck in an illusion forever. If you know the story of Dylans relation to the folkscene, you surely know what i am hinting at, and i am convinced that the directors are aware of this also.
Llewyn is a bit of a loser. Everything he touches seems to go wrong or make him loose money. All of these situations piling up, are the hints in his life begging him to take responsibility and take control of his own life. He is trying to cut away his own history, which means he looses everything from his past, also the things that he might have wanted to keep, like that sailors book. But then again his father cannot recognize him and shits on his ambitions. A big red flag saying beat it kid, we disown you. The cat is literally out of the bag and it is dragging him around, forcing him to make decisions about his life.
At times the movie feels as in a dream, like in that trip to Chicago. I think this is meant to tell Llewyn that running away is not going to do any good either or killing the inner voice that tells him to take responsibility (running over the cat with the car). He cannot go back to his old and safer job as a sailor either The bridges has been burned and he knows that he will not be able to get back to his dream of becoming a successful artist again if he goes back to his pre folksinger life.
So the cards are layed out for him and what does he do? That is exactly where the movie stops. It is up to you to decide what to do with your life and clear up the messes you have made to get ahead in life and find your true potential. llewyn gets to say goodbye to his old self, hinted at by the guy in the backyard, punching him in the face. He is a placeholder for his own shitty behaviour and he is able to externalize and see what a jerk he has been.
The irony is that all the while he has struggled with himself and his shitty behaviour, he has gotten his career absolutely nowhere, while other ambitious folksingers have overtaking his place. He could have been the new Bob Dylan if he had had the balls. Instead the real Bob Dylan takes his place and he is pushed aside and faces mediocrity once again. He lost an opportunity.
It is the sort of movie I really want to like. The theme is great and the acting is good and so on. It just needs a bit more of spark. It kind of drags along in slowmotion and the interactions are too repetitive and uninteresting to keep me really glued to the screen. A good indication wheteher a movie is in the good half or the bad half is ... do i want to watch it again ? I think the answer to that is yes, but it is not an overwhelming feeling
Rating: 7/10