'Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri' Review - Small town, big problems

Three Billboards is a film that originally flew under my radar. It wasn't until my significant other heard about it on a YouTube video that we decided to watch it. The film is centered around a distressed mother, Mildred Hayes, played by Frances McDormand, who is dealing with the recent rape and murder of her teenage daughter. Mildred believes that the Ebbings police department has not done enough in the search of the culprit to her daughters death.

Mildred decides the best way to gain the attention of the Ebbings police department is to rent out three billboards on a mostly unused highway and somewhat antagonize the police department for what she believes is their lack of effort. The movie follows the events that transpire due to the billboards, which stems from verbal attacks to arson.

The three signs essentially call out the police chief Bill Willoughby who is played by Woody Harrelson. One would suspect that the lack of a clear suspect in this situation would mean some sort of corroboration within the police department, but Willoughby and the police department genuinely try to find the person or persons behind the murder.

What's most interesting about Three Billboards is that there isn't an antagonist in the film. Character's that you'd think would normally be delegated to the role of the 'bad guy' have genuine depth to them and character development throughout the film. One such character is Officer Dixon, who at one point burns the billboards out of frustration, but near the end of the film, he becomes one of the most complex characters with his desire to help Mildred.

Three Billboards draws you into the small town of Ebbings and keeps you there with its excellent cast of characters and dark sense of humor. It's a story that feels real and deals with subsurface issues that plague society in the South and all over the world. The film shows the lengths that one person can go to get the answers they deserve.