Frances McDormand stars as Mildred Hayes, whose attempts to shame the town sheriff (Woody Harrelson) into action rankles with the local population, not least because he's a well-liked, well-meaning family man.
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” was shot with rural realism in North Carolina and is a film that defies conventional genre expectations, telling its unique tale compellingly.A desperate mother backing an ad campaign to find her daughter's killer might seem like the premise for your average inspirational underdog story, but In Bruges writer/director Martin McDonagh's Oscar-winning film is a far more nuanced proposition than that. He gets into a fight with this bar patron and makes sure he gets a sample of DNA to test, which eventually he’ll share with Mildred. Rockwell’s much-deserved Oscar performance as the hot-headed, racist Officer Dixon goes beyond the traditional stereotype because after a fiery accident and reading a letter from Willoughby, he reforms and learns to be a good cop. One evening in a local bar, he overhears a creep bragging about having his way with a young woman, and Dixon becomes immediately suspicious that he might be connected to Angela’s murder. His performance earned him an Oscar nomination. Harrelson’s Bill Willoughby is a thoughtful, serious cop who faces life-changing decisions while trying to find answers to an unsolved murder case. The film’s supporting cast is simply outstanding. The spiteful and disappointed Angela shouts back at her, “I hope I get raped on the way.” In one horrible flashback memory of the night of her daughter’s death, Mildred recalls an argument with Angela, who wanted to borrow her mom’s car for a night out. McDormand’s Mildred is quite possibly the best of her three Oscar-winning performances, more tempered than her mostly one-dimensional comedic Marge Gunderson from “Fargo” and Fern from “Nomadland.” Her determined and strong-willed character balances rage and despair with subtle sarcasm, yet she has deep compassion and understanding for her enemies. With her sandy reddish, pulled-back hair and wrinkled face with minimal makeup, McDormand creates simple, honest and real characters. Mildred’s a complex character: divorced, a single mother living not only with the memories of her slain daughter but also sharing her home with her high school-aged son while her ex-husband Charlie is dating a 19-year-old. She explains, “The more you keep a case in the public eye, the better your chances of getting it solved.” Mildred is not convinced she wants answers. Even a local priest warns Mildred she should remove the signs and that there should be other methods of seeking the truth about her daughter’s fate. With this, her action attains immediate local media attention and raises the ire of local hotheaded policeman Jason Dixon (Rockwell) and, of course, Chief Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson). She channels her rage by renting the signs and placing the following messages on each: “Raped while dying,” “And Still No Arrests?” and “How Come Chief Willoughby?” She notices there are three dilapidated, abandoned billboards on Drinkwater Road heading into town. McDonagh’s original screenplay concerns the middle-aged gift shop owner, Mildred Hayes (McDormand), whose daughter Angela was abducted, raped and murdered seven months prior, and the police have done nothing significant to help. Incredibly frustrated, Mildred lashes out against the local police. This gem was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including best picture, and Sam Rockwell received the Oscar for best supporting actor. McDormand won her second best actress Oscar in British director Martin McDonagh’s unique crime drama “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017). Meryl Streep and Ingrid Bergman each won two best actress Oscars and one for best supporting actress. Katharine Hepburn tops the list with four best-actress Oscars. When Francis McDormand won an Oscar this year for “Nomadland,” she joined a unique club of only four actresses who have won three or more Oscars for their outstanding acting. TW: This post contains brief discussion and language regarding sexual assault.
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