Movie Review – Three Billboards Outsides Ebbing, Missouri
Because of the pandemic, I have time to watch several films and unconsciously fall into this fantasy world. In April, I watched Nomadland which starred Frances McDormand and was directed by Chloe Zhao. Impressed by Frances’ brilliant performance, I went back to see her previous work, and unexpectedly encountered this masterpiece "Three Billboard Outsides Ebbing, Missouri', directed by Matthew Mcdonagh. As long as this black comedy was released, it garnered rave reviews from critics and earned two Oscars, including Best Actress in a leading role for Frances McDormand and Best actor in a supporting role for Sam Rockwell in 2017. The storyline revolves around a mother who personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's Angela murder when they fail to catch the culprit. McDormand is Mildred Hayes, a middle-aged heartbroken mother who pays no effort to dig out the truth of her daughter’s tragic death. Out of vengeance, she rents three billboards outside the ebbing town to let off steam and raise awareness among the public and authorities.
Anger is energy in Martin McDonagh’s brilliant “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” one of the best films of 2017. “All this anger begets greater” is the main theme in the film. Mildred channels her anger to chief Willoughby, but it directly contributed to a series of misery. It makes me realize that taking revenge on someone is undoubtedly the worst idea when bad things come one after another. It is your attitude matters.
Nobody is perfect in the real world and nor does every character in the film. Although Mildred seems righteous and flawless in the beginning, she screwed up the relationship with her daughter. On the other hand, Dixon is regarded as an irresponsible and arrogant white-man cop initially, but he risked his life to protect Angela’s case data in the fire scene. Indeed, life’s like this. No one is born to be flawless. We should not judge a person too easily merely by the first impression.
When things look black, there's always a silver lining. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” vividly depicted life in different aspects. We, as the audience, go on a journey of tolerance with Mildred and Dixon, make a confession and reconcile with ourselves in the 116 minutes. Hope you guys can enjoy the film!