Why the Coen brothers turned to a cat to save their plotless folk film
In short: Inside Llewyn Davis is a masterclass in melancholy, following a struggling 1961 Greenwich Village musician who cannot seem to get his life in order. While the film is celebrated as a modern masterpiece, the directors famously admitted the story lacked a traditional plot until they introduced a wandering ginger cat.
Released in 2013, the film is a period drama directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Although the protagonist, Llewyn Davis, is a fictional character played by Oscar Isaac, the Coens drew inspiration from the autobiography of folk singer Dave Van Ronk. The directors mined Van Ronk’s memoir, The Mayor of MacDougal Street, for local color and specific scenes, but they were careful to note that Davis is an original creation. The film’s music, curated by executive producer T Bone Burnett, serves as a direct descendant of the Coens' earlier work on O Brother, Where Art Thou?, utilizing live recordings to capture the raw atmosphere of the era.
The narrative structure is intentionally circular, with the opening scene revealed as the film's conclusion. This structure mirrors the protagonist's own stagnation; he is a purist artist who refuses to compromise, yet he remains trapped in a cycle of failure and poverty. Critics have praised the film for its profound melancholy and technical precision, with many ranking it among the greatest films of the 21st century. However, the film faced criticism from figures like Suzanne Vega and Terri Thal, who argued that it misrepresented the vibrant, communal nature of the real-life 1960s folk scene, portraying it as far more isolated and bleak than it truly was.
The production process was uniquely challenging, particularly regarding the animal actors. Unlike dogs, the cats used in the film were notoriously difficult to direct, leading the filmmakers to select multiple orange tabbies based on their natural dispositions for specific scenes. This commitment to authenticity extended to the music, where actors performed live, and the setting, which utilized an apartment the Coens had rented decades earlier. Ultimately, the film serves as a meditation on the life of an artist who is, as one critic noted, filling a hole with music that is never quite his own.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Inside Llewyn Davis
- Also: Wikidata — Inside Llewyn Davis · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Inside Llewyn Davis – Original Soundtrack Recording · CC0
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