Jude Anthany Joseph's third feature, after Ohm Shanti Oshana and Oru Muthassi Gadha, released on Prime Video at midnight today. This seemingly feel-good film, also seemingly made in limited spaces and with a shoestring budget, tackles a concept and issue never tested before in Malayalam cinema circles. In Sara'S, we follow the life of Sara Vincent (Anna Ben), a young, bubbly, yet unapologetic filmmaker who struggles to make it big in the industry. She continuously assists male directors and is in the scripting works of her dream film. Sara has decided, from her school days, that she would not bear any kids. This is when she meets Jeevan (Sunny Wayne); her relationship with him subsequently brings her ideology and decision into a confrontation with the established norms of society, family and child-rearing. Anna Ben in Sara'S The best aspect in which Sara'S has excelled, without doubt, is its hard-hitting taut script. Debutant Akshay Hareesh deserves praise for managin...
Reviewer-The Blog© is back after a very long hiatus with the review of the most acclaimed movie of 2017.
Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand), a middle-aged mother, frustrated by the Ebbing Police Department's indifference towards the investigation on her daughter's rape and subsequent murder, sets out on a mission to vent her anger by renting three unnoticed billboards, which consequently rattles up a few cages and raises a lot of eyebrows. The billboards question the inefficiency of the Ebbing Police Department, singling out a workaholic William Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), the Chief of the Department, on whom the "buck stops", and irritates Willoughby's good-hearted yet racist confidante, Officer Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell). How the eponymous billboards change the life of these central characters and the townspeople of Ebbing, Missouri form the crux of the story.
Martin McDonagh, undoubtedly a maestro in creating dark comedies (In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths), proves his unrelenting mettle in directing well-written scripts again with Three Billboards. Such is the elan with which the director executes his screenplay, that when the credits rolls, you sure wonder whether humanity is the ugly beast that torture one's inner soul whilst wearing the facade of justice. He brings his wonderful theatrical skills to this black comedy with ease. Sympathy conflicts with justice, rationale brawls with frustration, especially when Mildred surprisingly pits the idea of collecting the DNA samples of every male child born in America.
What shines well above McDonagh's direction, are the legendary performances that the three central characters (portrayed by McDormand, Rockwell and Harrelson) deliver in the movie. The never-back-down attitude of a grieving mother by Frances McDormand makes Three Billboards her next best after the Coen brother's magnum opus Fargo. After watching her performance in the movie, a movie-goer will surely appreciate her acting mettle, which eventually won her the Oscar for the Best Actress in a Leading Role in the 90th Academy Awards. Sam Rockwell makes his performance memorable with his surprising character transformation-from a short-tempered racist to a sympathetic do-gooder. Though present only for half of the runtime, Woody Harrelson provides one of his emotional performances yet.
Reviewer © rating: 5 stars
MPAA rating: R (for violence, language throughout, and some sexual references)
Runtime: 115 minutes
Reviewer-The Blog©
For updates on reviews, please like our Facebook page by clicking on the icon on top of our home page.
Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand), a middle-aged mother, frustrated by the Ebbing Police Department's indifference towards the investigation on her daughter's rape and subsequent murder, sets out on a mission to vent her anger by renting three unnoticed billboards, which consequently rattles up a few cages and raises a lot of eyebrows. The billboards question the inefficiency of the Ebbing Police Department, singling out a workaholic William Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), the Chief of the Department, on whom the "buck stops", and irritates Willoughby's good-hearted yet racist confidante, Officer Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell). How the eponymous billboards change the life of these central characters and the townspeople of Ebbing, Missouri form the crux of the story.
 |
| Woody Harrelson and Frances McDormand |
Martin McDonagh, undoubtedly a maestro in creating dark comedies (In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths), proves his unrelenting mettle in directing well-written scripts again with Three Billboards. Such is the elan with which the director executes his screenplay, that when the credits rolls, you sure wonder whether humanity is the ugly beast that torture one's inner soul whilst wearing the facade of justice. He brings his wonderful theatrical skills to this black comedy with ease. Sympathy conflicts with justice, rationale brawls with frustration, especially when Mildred surprisingly pits the idea of collecting the DNA samples of every male child born in America.
What shines well above McDonagh's direction, are the legendary performances that the three central characters (portrayed by McDormand, Rockwell and Harrelson) deliver in the movie. The never-back-down attitude of a grieving mother by Frances McDormand makes Three Billboards her next best after the Coen brother's magnum opus Fargo. After watching her performance in the movie, a movie-goer will surely appreciate her acting mettle, which eventually won her the Oscar for the Best Actress in a Leading Role in the 90th Academy Awards. Sam Rockwell makes his performance memorable with his surprising character transformation-from a short-tempered racist to a sympathetic do-gooder. Though present only for half of the runtime, Woody Harrelson provides one of his emotional performances yet.
For a movie that intends to bring out both the dark and light side of one's humanity, Three Billboards is a deft attempt at that and turns out as a success for the talented directors and the exceptional cast. The silences are ominous, the conversations are dangerously funny and the conflicts are artistically shot and these make Three Billboards one of the best films of the year.
MPAA rating: R (for violence, language throughout, and some sexual references)
Runtime: 115 minutes
Reviewer-The Blog©
For updates on reviews, please like our Facebook page by clicking on the icon on top of our home page.
Comments
Post a Comment