Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

The Best Picture nominees for 2017 featured a number of great films, such as Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, but I was left disappointed after watching The Shape of Water when it had scooped the award given the excellent competition. It was an interesting idea and well crafted on a visual level but the story just didn't grab me and is one I doubt I will return to. Also nominated that year was Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and was The Shape of Water's main rival in the awards race. This was directed by Martin McDonagh who seemed to be back on form with another firm hit following his brilliant dark comedy In Bruges nearly ten years ago.

Three Billboards follows a mother's (Frances McDormand) attempt to challenge the local authorities in catching the culprit who murdered her daughter through the use of several billboards as the name suggests. However, due to the lack of evidence and leads this case seems to have gone cold and the police are ready to move on but McDormand's Mildred is far from ready to do that and takes matters into her own hands.

As McDonagh did with In Bruges, he takes a dark storyline revolving around characters in trauma but manages to add moments of comedy in what is very much a bleak character study. That can sound like a warning sign for many, and while this will not be the cult classic In Bruges is, Three Billboards is certainly one of the more thought provoking films of 2017. Without spoilers, this film almost demands a repeat viewing and some weeks after watching only once it still comes back to me.

I can say that I like Three Billboards for what it achieves and how well it is made and also acted, but I would not say it is on the same level as In Bruges which fans might expect. Putting that aside, this is one film that I can strongly recommend for those looking for a well-written original drama and I would argue that this deserved Best Picture. Viewers might find the ending unsatisfying and I found this to be the case at first but McDonagh manages to find a way to make this film feel rewarding over time. It these types of experiences which I believe the Oscars should give more credit to, and here's hoping their idea to create a 'Most Popular Film Award' never sees the light of day.