2017 | Dir. Martin McDonagh | 115 Minutes
"She got killed, still no arrest. How come, I wonder. Because there ain't no God, and the whole world's empty, and it doesn't matter what we do to each other? I hope not."
Furious mother Mildred Hayes buys ad space in a remote location in the small town of Ebbing, Missouri, to chastise the local sheriff for his inability to solve the case of her teenage daughter's brutal rape and murder. Public opinion quickly turns against Mildred due to the open secret of the sheriff's failing health. As the situation escalates, Mildred acts on her worst impulses, and the most unlikely person in town discovers a potential lead on the case.
Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a powerful drama about one mother's absolute refusal to let go as she lives in the unbearable aftermath of an unspeakable crime. While there are comedic moments in the film, the majority of any humor to be had is morbid, and the violence perpetrated in the narrative is sudden and shocking. While Mildred's anger is undoubtedly righteous, the story is one of displaced and misplaced rage, of the products of domestic abuse, and of people uniting under a dubious cause for dubious reasons. The film plays out like a true crime story in which events unfold in an unpredictable manner and easy solutions are nowhere to be found.
The picture's fantastic cast is led by the ever-brilliant Frances McDormand as Mildred, absolutely personifying a thirst for vengeance that severely compromises all logical judgement. Playing a racist, violent, and incompetent white trash deputy who may not be beyond redemption (the unequivocal heart of controversy for the film), Sam Rockwell gives the performance of his career. The cast also features excellent performances from a selection of some of the best character actors available including Woody Harrelson as the dying Sheriff Willoughby, Lucas Hedges as Mildred's wary son, Caleb Landry Jones as the dopey owner of the billboards, Peter Dinklage as a local with an unrequited crush on Mildred, John Hawkes as Mildred's abusive ex-husband, and Clarke Peters as the new sheriff and sole voice of reason.
Grim, funny, often upsetting, but always captivating, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a story of misguided anger and the search for justice and meaning, a search that may never end. The film is challenging, thematically rich, hopeless to a certain degree but hopeful in other ways, and hands down one of the best films of 2017.
FRAGMENTS
- Caleb Landry Jones appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and Get Out
- Lucas Hedges appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and Lady Bird
- Kathryn Newton appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and Lady Bird
- I was particularly thrilled with Clarke Peters' reassuring presence as a straight-shooting lawman, not too far removed from his iconic role as Lester Freamon on The Wire
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Sam Rockwell (Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2)
- Kerry Condon (FRIDAY in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame)
- Peter Dinklage (Eitri in Avengers: Infinity War)
- Christopher Berry (Randy in Spider-Man: Homecoming)
- Kathryn Newton (Cassie Lang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)
