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They say that revenge is bad. At least, in my country, there are even proverbs explaining why it is never a good idea to apply the concept of revenge. And yes, sometimes, very rarely, doing less is better for our purposes. All these concepts and ideas, which seem like popular and ‘empty’ chatter, can be perfectly appreciated in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Where a mother who has lived through a terrible experience of injustice and cruelty, tired of waiting, decides to employ revenge?
I wish it were as simple as I try to explain everything, but in truth, the great thing about this film is the richness that exists in the script of this story. Where each secondary character, not only takes the stage to fill a space, but they are key to the very understanding of the plot. Remember, a single mother, a victim of gender violence, presumably for several years, and in charge of two teenagers ..... All these elements are key to understanding the murky, dark and heavy atmosphere that pervades the area of influence of the protagonist, played by Frances McDormand.
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Not long into the film, we learn that Frances' daughter has been raped, badly cared for, beaten, and all in a small town in Missouri (now the title of the film is making sense) where there are no witnesses to provide information or help in finding the perpetrator of such a savage and heinous act. Months go by, there are no suspects, and although the police department seems to do absolutely nothing, little by little, the story itself shows us why the detectives who have investigated the case are making no progress at all?
Between the bureaucratic procrastination of the police department and the increasingly anxious and anguished need of the victim's mother for an answer, the need to take revenge and take justice into her own hands is gaining more and more strength? Within all this tangled web, there is us, the audience, who are part of the story and do not escape from judging and at the same time approving or accusing those involved in the film. We witness how the strong personality, replete with the wounds of a cruel and heartless existence for a good person, has changed any hint of goodness and replaced it with a need for violence and revenge in the face of irreparable harm.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is wonderful because it presents a scenario, where most probably you and I would agree to use violence but it is not so simple and easy. Let's not forget that everything has consequences. If you seek destruction, you cannot expect unconditional love, let alone understanding. Fire begets fire, not peace and quiet. And sometimes it all goes to hell, and then you don't know where it all started and worse, why it started in the first place? Does an injustice and the inability of a crue and violent society justify our loss of Humanity? Yes or no? What do you think? Tell me...
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Powerful review! The exploration of revenge and its complexities within the context of the film is well articulated.