Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: film criticism of the drama

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is as gruff as it is humane: the conflict between law and revenge develops into a tragic comedy about overcoming violence and abuse of power.

The large wooden billboards on America’s highways and highways are called “billboards”. The three on the outskirts of the hometown of souvenir dealer Mildred (Frances McDormand) make a shabby impression. Nobody has posted them for a long time. Boards are missing. Fragments of peeled advertisements form a confused collage. One evening Mildred stops and looks at her with a mixture of despair and vague hope. She will publicly accuse them of the unsolved crime against her daughter.

The Irish-born director and screenwriter Martin McDonagh (“See Bruges … and die?”, “7 Psychos”) saw the same thing on a bus tour years ago and has now made it the hanger of his third and best film to date. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017) is a brilliant work on revenge and law – and an urgent plea for humanity. The first shows the tragicomedy for the first time on free TV.

The labels that Mildred chooses have it all. The first panel indicates that Mildred’s daughter was raped, murdered and burned months ago. The second sarcastically asks: “Still no arrests?” The third turns ironically to the chief of police. Said Mr. Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) is furious about it, his right hand Dixon (Sam Rockwell) is boiling with rage.

At least most of the white residents of Ebbing are on Willoughby’s side – out of respect and pity because he is terminally ill with cancer. Willoughby and Dixon see no starting point for a new investigation into the case of Mildred’s daughter. Instead, they try to stop the campaign by putting pressure on Mildred and ad seller Red Welby (Caleb Landry Jones). Mildred remains stubborn. The conflict is becoming violent. And surprisingly ends in a rough advertisement for humanity.

Can bad things follow?

Alcoholized, dull-cheeked, narrow-minded and burning with hatred, Dixon storms out of the police station, smashes the glass door across the street, goes to the first floor, beats Welby’s secretary face and throws the salesman out of the window himself after beating him up. It is the great merit of the actor and his director that the audience perceives this scene as a tragedy for everyone – for the victims as well as for the perpetrators. All the small weaknesses of McDonagh’s script are forgotten if he continues to use violence as a purgatory for the inner transformation of his characters. Those who hurt others hurt themselves, if only through a drastic language. This lesson does not remain abstract. Mildred and Dixon experience it for themselves.

Fascinating, McDonagh and his creative colleagues show how bad can result in more bad – but also good. In her bitterness, Mildred actually wants revenge, not right. But their action brings to light and awareness of abuses of brutality and abuse for which Willoughby’s cancer is the metaphor. But there is no guarantee that the good will win.

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” was nominated for the gold boy in seven categories at the 2018 Academy Awards and won two of them: Sam Rockwell received the award for “Best Supporting Actor”, and also the great Frances McDormand for her performance was awarded at the Golden Globes, won the Oscar for “Best Actress”. Haggard, hardened by suffering, determined, but also out of disappointment, her mildred gives the “dependents” a voice.

This is the trailer for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”:

Source: teleschau – der mediendienst GmbH –