Inside Llewyn Davis to screen at Cinema Nouveau

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Inside Llewyn Davis to screen at Cinema Nouveau --

Thu, 06 Feb 2014 15:47

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SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: On Wednesday 5 February Inside Llewyn Davis, the latest movie by Joel and Ethan Coen, pre-screened at Cinema Nouveau in Rosebank, Johannesburg.

South African singer and songwriter Matthew Mole performed at the event, and gave a stunning rendition of the haunting opening song of the movie, Hang Me, Oh Hang Me.

Set in 1961 in New York in winter, just before folk music became popular with the advent of the iconic Bob Dylan, the movie follows a week in the life of struggling musician Llewyn Davis, portrayed by the remarkable Oscar Isaac, with an extraordinary talent for both acting and singing.

In the film, Llewyn keeps on missing his big break, and although the movies main character is not always particularly likeable, the filmmakers treat their character with compassion and affection.

Inside Llewyn Davis is, once again, proof that the Coen brothers never misses a beat. Cleverly referencing the book which is universally regarded as the screenwriters bible , Save the Cat!, a ginger feline appears early in the movie and Llewyn struggles to save the cat or not as his life and his attempt at a career in folk music spin out of control.

Later revealed in the movie, the cat s name is Ulysses, also known as Odysseus in Greek, which is perhaps another symbolic reference to Llewyn, who like Ulysses in Lord Alfred Tennyson s poem, is endlessly discontent (not without reason).

Much like the poem, which ends with to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield , Llewen s sets out on his ill-fated journey.

Especially noticeable is the mesmerising, diffused colour palette which conveys Llewyn s state of mind and desperation in a film that is in its entirety exquisitely shot and brilliantly executed.

The movie, surely one of the Coen brothers best efforts, ranking among other masterpieces such as The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men and Fargo, is both humorous and tragic, and features strong performances, especially from Isaac, which begs the question why he was not nominated for an Oscar award this year.

With a superb supporting cast, depicting characters as authentic and original as only the Coen brothers can conjure, comprise Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, F. Murray Abraham and Garrett Hedland, among others.

Largely a powerful eulogy to folk music, with artists such as Timberlake and producer T Bone Burnett contributing to its spellbinding sound, the songs run through every fibre of Llewyn s being and infuses the film with musical splendour.

It boggles the mind why Inside Llewyn Davis, which won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, did not receive Oscar nominations for Best Film, Best Director or Best Screenplay, but deservedly has been nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Sound Mixing.

Though not a mainstream movie, Inside Llewyn Davis is a must-see for fans of the Coen brothers and folk music aficionados.

Inside Llewyn Davis screens at Cinema Nouveau theatres countrywide from Friday 7 February and is distributed by Ster-Kinekor.

(By the way, the ginger tabby starring in Inside Llewyn Davis won the prestigious Palme de Whiskers award for Best Feline Performance at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, trumping the other nominees cats that starred in the Palestinian movie Omar and the Korean film Like Father, Like Son.)

Report by Martie Bester

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