Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri backlash: critics attack the Oscar front-runner
Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh’s film earned nine Bafta nominations after taking home four Golden Globes, but the film has also been criticised for the way that it deals with racism
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has had quite the week. Not only was the darkly comic drama the surprise big winner at Sunday night’s Golden Globes, taking home four prizes, but it’s also a major contender at the Baftas.
When the nominees were announced on Tuesday, Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh’s film wound up with nine nominations, including for best film, director and screenplay.
The Shape of Water leads the race for British Academy Awards with 12 nominations
It seems like we might have an Oscars front-runner. Just as the buzz about The Post and All the Money in the World begins to fade, suddenly an earlier release is coming in hot.
Not everyone is pleased with this turn of events. Soon after the film was released to almost unanimously positive reviews, the criticism followed, mainly revolving around the way it deals with racism.
Frances McDormand stars as a woman whose daughter was murdered. A year later, with police making no progress on the case, she decides to take action by advertising her discontent for the whole town to see. She rents three billboards, displaying the words: “Raped while dying and still no arrests? How come, Chief Willoughby?”
This sets up a war in the small town with McDormand’s Mildred on one side and pretty much everyone else on the other. Most people side with the police chief (played by Woody Harrelson), and no one more so than his idiotic deputy (Sam Rockwell).
