DVD Review – May 2014 – Mark David Hatwood

Inside Llewyn Davis, starring  Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund Directed by Joel & Ethan Cohen

insideLlewynDavisCohen Brothers latest film follows a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles – some of them of his own making.

Below overcast skies, melancholy folk, soured relationships and no direction home, the Cohen Brothers have created a rhapsodic portrait of a ’60s folk singer. Although not their best movie – in truth hardly Coen-esque at all – its majestic musical numbers and fantastic performances still elevate this to reach far above the humdrum lesser filmmakers churn out.

Verdict: A memorable, deep-thinking film about a struggling folk singer ****

This film can be seen at The Harbour Club, Portscatho on Monday 28th May: www.theharbourclub.co.uk

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