10 Underrated Films From Great Directors

The Coens are renowned for their whacky and oddball characters such as The Dude and Marge Gunderson, so when they decided to tackle a serious drama with a grounded protagonist, the reaction was hesitant. Even No country for Old Men has its fair share of bizarre characters roaming around that make it clear its a Coen picture. Inside Llewyn Davis is a mature and reserved portrayal of grief as Oscar Isaac's titular character struggles to break out on his own in the Folk singing circuit after his partner tragically commits suicide.

Davis is a realistic and angry man struggling with what he has lost as he moves through a world that seems crazy to him (the kind of crazy that reflects the Coens' usual stories) leaving him as the only person who sees things for how they really are.

Isaac is phenomenal in this character study going from place to place trying to find a reason to keep on living. The depression that the character feels is exceptionally developed and the empathy you feel for Davis is genuine. It being a Coen Brothers film, there are still some light moments of comedy sprinkled in, predominantly in the form of a ginger cat that Davis keeps misplacing.

The film is warm and beautifully written and stands as the Coens' most human film to date.