Grief can cloud the waters, but it also allows for genuine focus of clarity…
Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri truly speaks to the anger and frustration in the current cultural ethos and the genuine need for compassion and understanding in order to overcome it all.
It’s been months of silence in the wake of her daughter’s murder and Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) decides it’s time to make a bold move and spur on some action. Renting three billboards leading in to town calling out Police Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) for the police’s in effectiveness in finding the killer. However when his hot headed second in command (Sam Rockwell) gets involved the conflict and the drama in this small town ramps up to epic proportions.
From writer/director Martin McDonagh who has a track record for telling some pretty upfront stories, damn near delivers a master stroke of emotion here capturing the general frustrations of the fact that the issues of right and wrong are often much more complicated then they need to be. It’s a beautifully shot narrative that is rife with the raw human emotion that far too often we bottle up in polite society, it hit that right nerve and it leans on it harder then we could have imagined thanks to a fearless performance from Frances McDormand and some strong support players who send her flying into one of her best appearance on film.
Three Billboards is the pulse of a society and it demands an audience.
David Voigt is a Toronto based writer with a problem and a passion for the moving image and all things cinema. Having moved from production to the critical side of the aisle for well over 15 years now at outlets like Examiner.com, Criticize This, Dork Shelf (Now That Shelf), and to.Night Newspaper.
He’s been all across the continent; serving on the FIPRESCI Jury at the Festival Du Nouveau Cinema in Montreal, covering festivals out side of Toronto like Calgary Underground Film Festival, CUFF Docs, Slamdance, Fantasia, SXSW, DOC NYC, Santa Barbara Film Festival, New York Asian Film Festival and many others
However, In the uncertain world of modern film journalism, David also knew that he needed to have a hand in writing and cementing his own contributions on the global film scene.
Having eclipsed the 10 year anniversary of his own outlet, In The Seats, where he’s been striving to support film (and TV) from all walks of life and his podcast “In The Seats With…” where after 5 & ½ years and over 750 episodes he’s talked with a wide variety of filmmakers, actors, behind the scenes artisans and so much more on the art of storytelling for the screen, which is spawning the launch of a new show in the Spring of 2026. “ITS: Soundtracks” will focus on the use of soundtrack and score in film which he believes is a combination that is the cinematic equivalent of Peanut Butter and Chocolate.
All this as well as hosting and moderating a variety of big screen events around the city, covering film in all its forms is just a way of life for him.
