The Coen brothers have a mixed track record for me. I included No Country for Old Men in one of my lists of favourite films, thought Raising Arizona and Burn After Reading were great fun, but couldn’t really connect with O Brother, Where Art Thou? Since Inside Llewyn Davis is another music film, I guess it’s not too surprising that I ended up not liking it very much either.

This film is all about the folk music scene of the 1960s centred around New York and its protagonist is apparently a fictionalized version of one such folk singer. Oscar Isaac does a fantastic job of portraying the stereotypical down-on-his-luck starving artist, a performance that is all the more impressive because the songs in here aren’t pre-recorded. His Llewyn Davis has a modicum of talent but it isn’t enough to sell albums, especially after the suicide of his musical partner. So he ends up drifting between small performing gigs and begging for couches to sleep on.

One of the most surprising things about this film is how unrelentingly bleak it is. Davis just can’t catch a break. Part of this is because he’s just not a good person and makes poor decisions. He misses out on the big money of a hit song he performs in because he opts for immediate cash instead of royalties for example and he has a history of abandoning people. The subplot of Davis with the cat is an obvious demonstration of how everything he touches turns to shit as one character screams.

But part of it is also because of bad luck and the film seems to suggest that this is the lot of most musicians and indeed most artists. Artists must either be exceptionally lucky to find success or else compromise on their artistic sensibilities and just stick with what is popular. It’s all the darkness of Searching for Sugar Man with none of the light. Musicians are ground down until it’s not about the music any more. Joyous expression of life? No, it’s just how they put food on the table. Sure, No Country for Old Men is plenty dark too, but here the darkness is frighteningly petty and cynical.

Combined with how unsympathetic this character is and the lack of any plot or even any real resolution, I find little to like about this film. Perhaps fans of folk music will find something in here that resonates with them. Still, the performances here are great and the directors’ craftsmanship is as always impeccable, so it may be worth watching for this alone.