Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

We are introduced to a close up of Oscar Isaac as Llewyn Davis, a folk singer who has hit rock bottom on stage at The Gaslight Cafe in 1961 performing a folk song "Hang Me Oh Hang Me" a song that by nature is quite repetitive. Singing this song is the first dialogue we have in the film that is referential to his partners recent suicide and is about mourning the dead and moving on, both of these being a theme that is often present in the songs Llewyn sings throughout this film . The sound, cinematography and editing of this performance also sets up the slow and melancholy style and pace for the rest of the film and places an importance on Llewyns emotional musical performances as a theme throughout. This is done through camera work by the first close up of Llewyn singing into a 60's era microphone and then proceeding to show shots of the silent and captured audience listening to him play from various angles such as the camera setup for a long shot behind the backs of the audience's head as they are silhouetted in the spotlight on Llewyn performing in the dark and smoky basket house. After his performance he is summoned by the manager Pappi Corsciattio who makes reference to Llewyn Davis' partner Mike Timlin, (who we find out through context later in the film recently committed suicide), previously performing that song together. Llewyn apologises for his behaviour for the previous night, which we are not shown until later in the film but we see the consequences of first . He is told that he has a friend waiting for him out back and proceeds out into the dark back alley where he is confronted by an unknown shadowed man in a suit asking him if he was "a funny boy, huh?" and that he "had to open ya big mouth" to which an unsure Llewyn replies that "It's what I do" the man after beating Llewyn walks away repeating this line as the image dissolves into the next scene, Llewyn waking up at the Gorfeins, another important opening sequence that is also mirrored in the final scenes of the movie. This opening scene in the Gaslight Cafe and the alley introduces the themes of Music portraying inner emotional turmoil and grief, Repetition and the cyclic nature of Llewyns life, Llewyns professional career stagnating, and the consequences of one's actions, all of which are made apparent through context in the film.

In the closing scene, which is almost an exact repetition of the opening scene , we are shown a few extra scenes that at first we did not know were edited out of the opening scene, the first being Llewyn performing another song after "Hang Me Oh Me"  called "Fare Thee Well" a song that we know Llewyn used perform with his partner Mike Timlin. This use of diegetic sound and editing pace an emphasis on closure for the theme of Llewyn's mourning as last this song acts as his goodbye. The cinematography and mise-en-scene of the opening performance and the closing performance are identical with the close up of Llewyn and the microphone to the camera angle being placed again behind the silhouetted backs of the audience members heads. The scene in the alley is also repeated but with some differences in sound and mise-en-scene, we have Bob Dylan singing another goodbye song called "Farewell" played diegetically from the Gaslight Cafe over an extended scene of the beating and where an injured Llewyn watches from the mouth of the alley as his attacker drives away in a taxi , delivering an "Au Revoir" as the film closes.

The themes in this scene are more apparent a second time round and with added context. We see a point of view shot of Bob Dylan singing his song at the end in the Gaslight as Llewyn transitions to the alley scene. This shows us the theme of Llewyns solo career not achieving the fame or money he has been seeking throughout the film, whereas the young Bob Dylan who is just hitting the earling 60's folk scene will certainly go onto achieve just what Llewyn has been aspiring to. The classic Coen Brother ambiguity is also present throughout the closing scene as it leaves the viewer unsure of which order events happen and whether or not it was some sort of quasi-flashback with certain elements happening different this time round . This ambiguity and use of repetition combine to show the theme of Llewyn being trapped in the never ending cycle of endless mistakes and the consequences of his actions.