Inside Llewyn Davis

The backbiting New York folk scene of Bob Dylan's 1965 put-down anthem Positively 4th Street is the setting for one of the Coen brothers' most soulful films to date, a low-key, melancholy comedy of sorts about a singer trying to find a balance between artistic integrity and mainstream success. Oscar Isaac stars in the title role, a Greenwich Village performer who is struggling to make it through the winter of 1961 after losing his musical partner. Shuttling between friends' apartments, Isaac abuses everyone's trust - notably the unsuspecting Justin Timberlake, whose wife (Carey Mulligan) he has been seeing behind his back - until the prospect of an audition in Chicago holds the promise of a new beginning. Inside Llewyn Davis finds the Coens as deadpan and dry-witted as ever, but it nevertheless hides a rich seam of sadness that comes to the fore whenever Isaac sings. The music choices alone will ensure this haunting, beautifully detailed film will live a long and lasting life.