Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is not just a great movie, it's a surprising one.  The path that the plot and the characters go are not what we are expect.  There are so many small surprises here that I will have to do my best to not reveal too much.  This is the kind of movie where you're better off knowing as little as possible walking in.

The characters who inhabit this strange, sometimes funny, and occasionally heartbreaking story include Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand), a grieving and divorced mother who lost her teenage daughter about eight months ago when she was discovered raped and murdered.  The police investigation has since gone cold, and Mildred is determined to keep them focused on finding the man responsible.  She has a teenage son, Robby (Lucas Hedges), who is obviously grieving as well, but also finds himself embarrassed by his mother's extreme actions as she constantly goads the local police into keeping the investigation going.   The police are represented by Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), who can be foul-mouthed and hot tempered at times, but is also a family man and genuinely seems to care about finding justice for Mildred.  There is also his officer Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell), who is racist, violent, not very bright, and lives with his mother, who shares all of the same qualities, only stronger.

All of these characters are brought to life by fantastic performances, some of which will probably be remembered come Award Season. (Frances McDormand is almost a lock for Best Actress, but I hope they don't forget Woody Harrelson, who has rarely been better than he is here.) We accept these people, and think we know where they are headed.  But then, writer-director Martin McDonagh (In Bruges) starts throwing in twists to all of these characters, and we realize that we are not going to be able to predict the path that the movie is going to take us.  Not only is the plot not easy to predict, but so is the ultimate fate of these characters.  This alone is rare enough in just about any movie.  But when you throw in the fantastic performances, powerful moments, and even genuinely hilarious moments of dark comedy, you instantly get one of the best films of the year.

The three billboards of the title sit alongside a stretch of road that nobody uses much anymore.  Mildred purchases them, and puts messages in bold black print against a blood red background that are directly targeted at Chief Willoughby, and why he has let the investigation into her daughter's murder go cold.  The billboards combine to create one message.  The first billboard reads "RAPED WHILE DYING".  The second, "AND STILL NO ARRESTS?".  And the third, "HOW COME, CHIEF WILLOUGHBY?"  Everybody in town knows what the billboards are referring to, and though the young man who runs the advertising firm that owns the billboards won't divulge the identity of who purchased them, it's no secret to anyone that Mildred is behind it.  Willoughby is exasperated by the media attention the billboards draw, and Mildred's family, including her son Robby and even her ex-husband (John Hawkes) are horrified.  Robby, in particular, becomes an outcast at school because of his mother's sometimes violent actions toward others when they try to confront her.

The murder of Mildred's daughter is constantly at the center of many of the film's scenes, and yet the movie manages to never be depressing and overbearing, while not trivializing the situation.  It has a wonderfully dark comedic sensibility to a lot of the scenes, with laughs that come naturally from a lot of the scenarios that these people find themselves in.  And I really must stress, it is these people that McDonagh has created that really sell this.  And it's not just the main characters, either.  Even smaller roles like the ex-husband's new girlfriend who is not very bright (She can't remember if she read a book about Polio or Polo, and asks which is the one with the horses.), or a local man (Peter Dinklage) who seems to have a crush on Mildred are memorable because of the airtight script and the fantastic performances.  This is easily one of the best written and acted movies I've seen this year.  It's simply a joy to watch it unfold.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri draws you in, catches you off guard, and then draws you in even further with the different directions that it takes.  It's the rare film that captivates and surprises, and it deserves to be seen.  Just do your best to walk into it knowing as little as possible.  The experience will be richer for it.

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