Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri
I know Tumblr is not really the place to put things like this out in the open and hope of many notes, but once in a while I watch a great movie that gets to me and makes me want get something out my system...
So, I watched "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri" this morning. For breakfast more or less.
Yeah, not exactly the kind of uplifting light stuff I usually watch to my coffee and sandwich, but I kinda felt like it today.
It made quite some waves in 2018 when it came out. Rightly so. I am once again pissed at myself for not watching a good movie like this earlier. But I guess I had my reasons.
I mean, the topic is not something you want to put yourself through on a daily basis
Mildred Hayes (played by the incredible Frances McDormand, Oscar for best lead) lives in Ebbing Missouri, is divorced to a wife-beating now dating 19 year-olds drunk asshole, works at a small tourist-trap gift-shop and is as grumpy as they come. At the beginning of the movie, she rents 3 old oversized billboards at the side of the road leading to town right outside her house. (Quote by the surprised young advertising guy "Oh, yeah. They do belong to us. No one has put up anything on them since...let's see...1987.")
"Raped while dying."
"And still no arrests?"
"How come, chief Willoughby?"
Her teenage daughter was raped, killed, and burned 7 months ago and this is the way she decides to put pressure on the local Police Department, to finally bring them to put more effort in trying to find the murderer.
Chief Bill Willoughby (played by an equally great Woody Harrelson) is understandably not very amused about that, but also shows understanding for why she did it. He has his own weight to carry, having pancreatic cancer in the final stage and a wife (Abbie Cornish, lovely as usual) plus two little girls to leave behind.
The case of Mildred's daughter and the fact he wasn't able to solve it bothers him just as much as it does her, but he is having a hard time showing this to her and to get through and around all her anger.
Also, he has his hands full to keep his lot of officers in check, some being the sadly usual no-good country i-got-a-badge-and-a-gun-now-show-me-some-respect-assholes-pushing-people-around types.
The worst of them is Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell, brilliantly hateable and still relatable, Oscar for best supporting role). A violent, drunk, racist out-of-book asshole cop, living and being pushed around by his equally no-good bitch Mom.. Constantly harassing people and being a dick. Tough on the outside, but a complete loser on the inside. He completely over the top idolizes Chief Willoughby and thus makes it his mission to make Mildred's life (and the viewer's for that matter) hell on earth from the very beginning, when he discovers the freshly put up billboards.
This is the setup, supported by an equally great cast of side characters, all adding beautifully to the story.
I don't want to spoiler much more, only that the movie, apart from the rather depressing setting, evolves into a very deep and heartfelt tale about anger and hate and how it is always is worth to try everything you can to put it behind you. That in the end there is always a chance to forgiveness and redemption.
A lovely quote taken from the movie: (leaving some blanks to not spoiler too much)
"[...] I do think you’re too angry though [...] but as long as you hold on to so much hate, then I don’t think you’re ever going to become, what I know you want to become [...]. Cause you know what you need [...]? And I know you’re gonna wince when I say this, but what you need [...] is love. Because through love comes calm, and through calm comes thought. And you need thought to detect stuff sometimes, [...]. It’s kinda all you need. You don’t even need a gun. And you definitely don’t need hate. Hate never solved nothing, but calm did. And thought did. Try it. Try it just for a change. No one’ll think you’re gay. And if they do, arrest ’em for homophobia! Won’t they be surprised! Good luck to you, [...]. You’re a decent man, and yeah you’ve had a run of bad luck, but things are gonna change for you. I can feel it."