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Video: Watching Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri With Psychologist - Reviews, Society
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. UK, USA, 2017
- Director: Martin McDonagh
- Starring: Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, etc.
Why did the audience love this dark, heavy film and burst into the top of the rating lists on the fly? This is something worth pondering
Maybe the viewer was hurt by the drama of the confrontation between the loner and society, the search for justice, the complexity of life choices, or the fact that we are all not without sin?
A young girl from the American province is raped and killed. After unsuccessful attempts to investigate, the police let the situation take its course, but the mother decides to fight to the end. On the roadside billboards, she posts appeals to the local authorities demanding to continue the search for the killer.
It would seem that the plot is not new: the search for justice and the desire for revenge for the crime committed is obvious. From a number of films with a similar plot, this one stands out for the choice of the main character and how tragically the events develop.
The main character Mildred does not have special skills, superpowers and secret knowledge. She is neither young nor beautiful. This is the most ordinary woman, aging, living in the province. She is divorced and has a bad relationship with her ex-husband and growing up son.
There is nothing unusual and superhero in it. And it is this “ordinary” that allows the viewer to identify with it. She does not stand out in anything, except for her inner determination and perseverance. And she does not try to seem better than she is: she has a difficult character. But naturalness captivates …
Two important features of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Usually in films about the confrontation between a loner and society, the hero confronts a crowd of villains and in the end triumphantly wins (less often - tragically dies). It's different in this film
First, there is no division into “bad” and “good”. The same heroes do all sorts of things - both admirable and blameworthy. I remember Sergei Dovlatov: “There are no heroes and no villains in this story. And they don't exist in life either."
Secondly, in the end there is no victory or loss, and the ending leaves room for imagination and speculation. The absence of division into "black" and "white" brings the film closer to real life …
Personal transformations
The transformations that the heroes go through are interesting. They change, their views, attitudes and behavior change. The filmmakers do not focus on the dynamic development of the plot, but on the internal changes of the characters.
At the beginning of the film, the heroine dislikes her ex-husband's new girlfriend, a very young beauty. But then she recognizes her human qualities and even begins to defend her ex-husband: "Do not try to offend her!"
Sam Rockwell's character Dixon undergoes an interesting change. At the beginning of the film, he is a typical "bad cop" in a remote province, abuse of power and arbitrary actions. Having met with understanding, empathy and support from an older friend, he changes for the better. He is no longer interested in power, but in justice, and for the sake of it he is ready to act even to his own detriment.
