HOW COME, CHIEF WILLOUGHBY?

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Three Billboards is the new highly reviewed black comedy crime thriller that has come into view especially after its recent wins at the golden globes.

It follows the mother ,Mildred Hayes played by Frances Mcdormand, of a murdered girl who rents 3 billboards in order to express her distaste at how little the police are doing for her daughter's case.

Setting:
Although the time period is never specifically stated it would appear that Three Billboards takes place in the modern day due to some of the technology seen. However all the modern technology is only ever seen out of focus or in the background. I believe that this was done very deliberately because despite the film being set in the modern day it would be very easy for an unobservant viewer to think the film is set in the 1980s or 90s. This is down to the fact that the film takes place in Missouri which is in the middle of the USA which is an area known for not changing much in modern times. All the cars seen are old 80s and 90s American estates and Pick up trucks which are very typical American cars. We also see that because many off the characters aren't very well off they live in houses that are very old fashioned and we even see that one of the police officers owns a box television which is very reminiscent of the last century. Other things that could lead to this conclusion include the police uniforms and the ambulance seen in one of the scenes.

The setting is very relevant to the themes of the film. Areas like small towns in middle American states like Missouri have a very low budget. It's clear to see that the police here are not only underfunded but also under-regulated which has lead to things like police brutality going unpunished. These small towns also have very tightly knit communities which is something that is a very present theme throughout the film.

Themes:

Community- This is a big theme within the film. Community is very relevant to the setting of the film and it's clear that almost everyone knows everyone in the town often seen by many people referring to each other by name despite no obvious connection.

The billboards that were put up targeted one police officer in particular "Chief Willoughby" who she feels isn't doing enough for her daughter's case. It quickly becomes clear that Willoughby has lots of friends in the community who immediately begin to turn on Hayes as they believe she is slandering the Chief. Many quoting how Chief Willoughby is very popular in town. This idea that the people in town all back Willoughby as a community is used to represent the kind of societies that are present in these small middle American towns.

Police brutality/racism- The theme of police brutality is represented through the character of Officer Dixon. Several times in the movie it is mentioned how Dixon tortured a black man who was in custody. Dixon expresses his racist opinions towards the new black police Chief later in the film. The topic of police brutality especially towards ethnic minorities has been a topic of discussion for decades now and can be seen other films such as Do the right thing. In Three Billboards the topic is covered with disapproval towards the cops who perform these acts. This is done by showing the character of Dixon to be unintelligent, drunk and violent as we see him not only drunk in many scenes but we also see him violently attack someone who had done nothing to provoke him. It's clear the film wants to put across the message that those who do this kind of racist violence are ignorant and often have many of their own problems.

Redemption- Redemption is a strong theme throughout the film and is one that lead to some controversy. Each of the three lead characters (Mildred, Dixon and Willoughby) lead an arch of redemption in the film which each character acts in ways that are legally or morally wrong and then goes on to redeem themselves later in the film. Mildred targets Willoughby despite him trying his hardest, she also causes harm to several other characters including Dixon. She is then redeemed in the eyes of the audience by her honesty and well meaning. However Dixon's redemption is the cause of controversy as many believe that Dixon should not be redeemed due to his racist actions such as torturing a black man in custody. It's clear to see where this comes from however Dixon is never actually redeemed of his racism but is instead shown to have a deeper caring side shown in his efforts to solve the case at the end of the film. Redemption is such a key concept in the film perhaps because McDonagh wants to put across a message about how people may not be who they appear to be or perhaps to show that anyone can redeem themselves.

Narrative/narrative structure:
The narrative is told from the perspective of Mildred throughout most of the film with a few scenes being dedicated to Chief Willoughby and Officer Dixon each showing glimpses of their home life. The structure of the film is unconventional with the beginning of the film seeming almost like a scene that could be from the middle of the narrative. The beginning shows Mildred noticing the three empty billboards on an side road. We then through the lines of other characters gather that her daughter had been murdered. Most films would have likely begun the film by showing of implying the murder of her daughter but instead the murder is teased to the audience which requires the audience to be active viewers in order understand the narrative especially towards the start of the film.

Flashbacks are also used a few times within the film mostly to highlight the events immediately before the death of the daughter. Many other films would have shown these events at the opening of the film and then would've continued chronologically from that point. However by delaying these details till later on in the film it keeps the audience engaged with the plot. The flashbacks also act as a way for the audience to gain some information about the character of Mildred's daughter. Up until this flashback ,which is at least halfway into the film, we have no idea about the personality or character of Mildred's daughter. We understand her situation and we feel sympathetic as an audience however all we really see up until this point is her mothers anger towards the whole situation. This helps the audience to be more motivated for Mildred's cause as there is now a more emotional connection.

The films ending is also very interesting in the fact that it is unconventional. Throughout the course of the film we are constantly led to believe that the story will wrap itself up neatly especially towards the end of the film where the hopes are high that the murderer will be caught. However seemingly right at the last second this all changes and instead the audience is left with a completely open ending in which even the characters are unsure about how to continue. This ending is incredibly effective as it allows the audience to create the scenes that follow within their own mind. This type of active viewership is key throughout the film especially in the opening and ending. Therefore a comparison can be made between the opening and ending as both require an active audience to be fully appreciated.

Production:
The film was shot on a budget of around $12 million which is typical of this genre of film as there was little need for special effects and no visible CGI was used. According to writer and director Martin McDonagh he was inspired to make the film after he saw billboards about an unsolved crime in Florida and noted how "the rage that put a bunch of billboards like that up was palpable". When watching the film it's clear that this sense of rage makes a definite impact on the films narrative. Even the billboards themselves are coloured blood red which has definite associations with anger.

Despite the fact that the film is set in Missouri almost all the filming took place on the east coast in the state of North Carolina. This was likely done as it allowed the production crew to create the set and to create a real sense of isolation with the town feeling far from anywhere else. The rustic feel of the area perfectly aligns itself with Dixon and his racist tendencies which feel right at home (especially in a state like North Carolina).

Critical vs audience response:

Critics- The initial critical response towards the film was very high with it receiving 4 and 5 star ratings from many companies such as EMPIRE (Click here to see their review) who describe the film as "Funny, Brutal and Breathtakingly Beautiful". However after the films cinema release several bad reviews begun to surface including this one (See Here) from INDY week which describes Three Billboards as "Tonally Incoherent" however after reading this article I find it quite easy to pick apart the points this review makes despite the writer making this difficult by using large words in order to sound more intelligent and therefore more believable. For example they say that they "never understand why the townsfolk turn on a grieving mother because she scolds the police chief in some secluded signage". However its clear that they haven't picked up on many of the reasons given for this throughout the film. These include how many of the townsfolk middle aged and conservative in nature and are therefore likely to be offended by the words "raped while dying" being written in a public place. It is also stated numerous times throughout the film that Chief Willoughby has many friends in the town who are likely to turn against someone who slanders him. Other than this review it was very difficult for me to find another negative critic response.

Audience- Comparing the audience reviews to the critic reviews gives a much more mixed view especially amongst those who are easily offended. One audience review says "I also do not see how it could be considered a comedy, with heavy topics as rape, murder, suicide, revenge, and the above mentioned racism, homophobia, and misogyny." This kind of reaction is seen time and time again by those who fail to understand the route of offensive comedy. It seems to be lost on them that these jokes are not there to excuse racists or to make fun of a certain race but rather to point out the ridiculousness of racism. Racism is used as a joke in Three Billboards because the film wants the audience to laugh at the ludicrousness of the racist. It's all about laughing at them not with them. Take the film Borat for example in which Borat makes many comments about how he dislikes certain races and religions such as Jews. The film isn't there to make the audience hate Jews but rather to laugh at the ridiculousness of his prejudice and the same goes for the character of Dixon in Three Billboards.

Obviously not all the reviews were negative and the film still received a high majority of positive reviews from the audience.

Awards- Three Billboards has already received a slew of awards such as a British Independent Film award for best editing and best music. However clearly the awards with the biggest impact was its large presence at the recent Golden Globe awards where it received 6 nominations 4 of which it won. These include best actress in a motion picture drama, best motion picture drama, best screenplay and best supporting actor in a motion picture. These accolades drew lots of audience attention to the film and could be partly attributed to the films success.

Overall I found Three Billboards to be an incredibly enthralling experience with both compelling characters and a gripping story. I feel that the high critical reception is well deserved.