Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Rating: 4.75/5

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a film that is raw with emotion and jam packed with phenomenal performances.

It has been seven months since Mildred Hayes' (Frances McDormand) daughter Angela was brutally murdered. Since the crime, Mildred has been appalled by the progress made by the local police department, and is dead set on finding a way take a stand against the gross injustice.

On her way home, she notices three billboards that have been in a state of disarray since the highway was put in, and gets an idea. Mildred pays to rent the billboards, and uses them to bring the public eye back to her daughter's unsolved case. However, in doing so, she points a finger at the much beloved chief of police, Willoughby (Woody Harrelson). Though her actions have caused great anger in the town, especially in Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), Mildred knows the billboards are her best chance at unearthing her daughter's killer.

Three Billboards is without a doubt a powerful and intense film from beginning to end, but it is also one of those rare cases where I feel the performances actually outweigh the movie itself. I know a statement like that doesn't entirely make sense, because how could the actors give such brilliant performances without being presented with the content that made up the film? What I mean is, Three Billboards is anything but a cheery movie, one where at times it is difficult to watch due to the distressing nature of its content, but it is also a film l I will most certainly be watching again, just so I can again witness the remarkable skill of its cast.

Frances McDormand is hands down one of the finest actors to grace the screen within the past few decades. Her acting ability is rarely matched, and is such that she fully disappear into her roles, allowing the audience to feel and react to whatever intense emotion her character may be going through. In Three Billboards, there is a scene that instantly sticks out in my mind as the one that shows her true talent as a performer. The moment itself is incredibly brief, and is the only time where someone, other than Mildred herself, is able to actually understand the immense pain and grief she is suffering over the loss of her daughter. They then see how desperately important the survival of the billboards are to her. To me, if the rest of her performance in the film was lacking, which it most certainly was not, that split second in the movie alone could have been what won her the Academy Award.

Three Billboards is unlike many films, in that is has a combination of serenity and despair as its primary focus. With such a violent and horrific crime as the epicenter of the plot, it is an interesting and wise decision on behalf of the creators that they chose not to include many scenes that depicted the actual crime itself. As the viewer, there was no doubt as to what atrocities took place, but it was only mentioned in conversation between the characters, and honestly that can almost be worse than seeing it. By really only having the descriptions depict what happened, it allowed the viewer's imagination to be left to its own devices, creating a film experience that is unique to every person.

As pretentious as it may sound, I find that there are times where a film is highly revered by critics, but could turn out to be that I am not particularly fond of. This is not the case for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. After watching it, I totally agree with and understand the acclaim to which it received, and feel that it will be a film that once watched, will be hard for any viewer to forget.

2018 Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Winner- Frances McDormand

2018 Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Winner-Sam Rockwell