The Coen Brothers have laid down their marker for splendid filmmaking through a longer period of time in the industry than some realise. Blood Simple was released all the way back in 1984, and then over a decade or two followed up a strong start with the likes of Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men, and A Serious Man (to literally name just a selection) before Inside Llewyn Davis opened in 2014. This new release is for the 4K UHD market and comes with fine new artwork!

Always willing to explore and reinvent, yet retain an essence that stays unique, the Coen Brothers take us to 1961 as we slide inside the folk music scene. Whether you’re a music aficionado or value striking storytelling (or both), the film captures a slice of life from the era that launched Bob Dylan. With Inside Llewyn Davis, we follow Llewyn (Oscar Isaac) over a year of his life, moving from couch to couch and trying to get his solo music career going, away from the haven of Greenwich Village bar, ‘The Gaslight’.

Once part of a double act that found relative success, there are some who know Llewyn’s sound and very early on, you sense his solo struggle. After he gets a beating from an unhappy stranger, this is a reminder that he’s the Coen’s archetypal anti-hero, keen to embrace the fight but – alas – without any control. Oscar Isaac gives us a fine, central focus, encapsulating a man with exquisite talent, entwined in a fight and a desperation to change his world. At the start he must look after a ginger cat after locking himself out of a place he’s been crashing in. It’s a moment where you think he’s taking control, but he ends up dumping the cat with folk friends Jean (Carey Mulligan) and Jim (Justin Timberlake). Mulligan’s Jean is a brief focus for our Llewyn, but when it comes down to it, she’s just another voice that says ‘yes’ to him when he needs somewhere to be. And the cat is a subtext to represent a perfect metaphor for his life, a reflection of his own muddled existence and there’s an intriguing spark when he realises the name of the cat later in the story.

Yearning and beautiful, this is a folk music-loving movie that’s wonderfully accomplished. Utilising the musical talents of T Bone Burnett, it also bridges the gap between the genius of that musical era and the modern age. If you’re quixotic at heart or recognise the desire beneath a song, then you’ll be in a perfect place to enjoy the exploration of this, another, Coen Brothers classic.

Bonus Features include Play Me Something: Designing Inside Llewyn Davis, the Making Of featurette, plus interviews about all the process with Oscar Isaac, T Bone Burnett as well as Justin Timberlake and Carey Mulligan.

Inside Llewyn Davis is out now on 4K UHD from StudioCanal: https://amazon/B0dbRCXl7