Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
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A grieving mother rents three roadside billboards to protest the lack of progress in the investigation of her daughter's murder.
The story
In the fictional town of Ebbing, Missouri, Mildred Hayes is grieving over the rape and murder of her teen daughter, Angela. Angry over the lack of progress in the investigation, she rents three disused billboards near her home to draw attention to the case. The billboards cause tension with the local police chief, Bill Willoughby, who is battling cancer. As the community reacts to the signs, Mildred's relationships with her son and her ex-husband are strained, while local law enforcement officers struggle with the fallout of the public display.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mildred Hayes rents three billboards to protest the lack of progress in her daughter's murder case, causing friction with the local police chief, Bill Willoughby, who is battling cancer. While Willoughby tries to solve the case, he eventually commits suicide. A rookie officer, Jason Dixon, becomes involved in the conflict, eventually forming an unlikely bond with Mildred. After the billboards are destroyed by arson, Mildred retaliates by setting the police station on fire. Dixon survives and eventually discovers a lead on a man who may have committed a similar crime. The film concludes with Mildred and Dixon planning a trip to Idaho to confront the suspect, while Mildred reflects on her actions and the complexities of her situation.
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 115
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Martin McDonagh
- Writers
- Martin McDonagh · writer
- Cast and characters
- Frances McDormand · Mildred Hayes; Woody Harrelson · not specified; Sam Rockwell · not specified; Abbie Cornish · not specified; John Hawkes · not specified; Peter Dinklage · not specified
- Genres
- dark comedy; crime
- Themes
- grief; anger; justice
- Tone and mood
- darkly comic; morally ambiguous
- Setting
- Ebbing, Missouri
- Premise and plot tags
- mother-son relationship; small-town
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for its screenplay, direction, and ensemble cast, though its handling of certain social themes was debated.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 88 · scale: 100 · review count: 50
- Awards and nominations
- BAFTA Award · Best Film · win; BAFTA Award · Outstanding British Film · win; BAFTA Award · Best Supporting Actor · win; Golden Globe Award · Best Supporting Actor · win; Screen Actors Guild Award · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture · win; Critics' Choice Award · Best Acting Ensemble · win; Academy Award · Best Actress · win; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · win
- Production trivia
- The film's screenplay was ranked 80th-greatest of the 21st century by the Writers Guild of America.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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