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Best Picture, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh
Actor in a Supporting Role, Woody Harrelson
Actor in a Supporting Role, Sam Rockwell
Actress in a Leading Role, Frances McDormand
Film Editing, Jon Gregory
Music (Original Score), Carter Burwell
Writing (Original Screenplay), Martin McDonagh
Three Billboards begins with Mildred, the mother of a murdered child, renting billboards to challenge the local police as to why they haven't solved the crime. Frances McDormand plays Mildred, and her beautiful weathered face reflects a woman who has been in hell and has set up a lovely winter home there. Meanwhile, the local sheriff Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) has a tremendous kindness to him, and he does his best to both placate Mildred but also to support her in her anger. The whole town loves Willoughby and they rally to his defense, even in ways that he has not asked them to, being the single person in town who seems to have empathy for this troubled mom. This is Harrelson's 3rd Oscar nomination, and I think this is his best work to date.
In addition to the town taking up the mantle for the sheriff, one officer, Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell) in the unit takes particular personal offense to the billboards, and acts violently on occasion in defense of his boss. This yields lots of poor choices being made by both Officer Dixon and Mildred until a brutal incident puts both of them into serious jeopardy.
I can't see how anyone could fail to be moved by this film. It was emotional, important, and packed a punch. The characters were well drawn and McDonough wisely gives each of them a full life - nobody is just a villain, nobody is just a saint. They are real people struggling with real pain in a real world. It's hard material so I think it would be impossible to say that one "loved" Three Billboards, but this is storytelling at its finest.
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