Inside Llewyn Davis was a film I have recorded long time ago but never felt in the mood for. It looked and sounded depressing in a too real way and the colour palette I have seen on stills and parts of the trailer didn't appeal to me.
But I had time and I started this with the vague feeling of watching and getting it over with. Why? I like the directors, Cohen Brothers and liked most of their films, very very much. So I wanted to add this on the "watched" side of things. Who knew I'd like it this much? It is a very real mixed with just the right dose of surreal (yeah I do not like full on surreal but love it when a small dose of it is mixed with the real, like Murakami novels) and the colour palette worked so well.
The story is a slice of life of titular Llewyn Davis. He used to be part of a folk singing duo and his partner killed himself (well, in hindsight, that seemed to be the unintentional theme of Sunday film viewing). He has a solo album but things are not going well for him. He doesn't have a house to live in and has to rely on his friends' generosity in sharing their couches (I have been there). His career is not going anywhere and his agent doesn't seem to pay it much attention. Furthermore he is stuck with a cat. He has the option to become a seaman (he has the license and his dad used to be one) but at the beginning of the film he thought this option a bad one "just existing". During the course of the film, he has come to realise that being a seaman is not the worst he could do. In fact he welcomes it and had to work for it.
The lead character was not very sympathetic but the script and visuals and the direction are such at I have started to root for him, wish that something would work out for him.
And this film was one of those cinematic surprises that delights one when you don't see it coming.
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