Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Pandora’s box opens

Synopsis: In a rural Missouri town, Mildred, whose daughter was murdered about seven months ago, is frustrated by the police’s inability to apprehend the killer and places three billboards criticizing the police. She is threatened by the police chief, his men and the townspeople who respect him, but she never gives in. Soon things begin to move in an unexpected direction. ……

This film was produced by director Martin McDonagh, who used three billboards he saw in person to expand his imagination. Director McDonagh hails from London, England. It is because he is from the outside that he was able to objectively look at the social problems prevalent in the U.S. and sublimate them into a work of art. The script is as well composed as one would expect. The message on the three billboards of Mildred, whose daughter was raped and burned to death, opens Pandora’s box, and the violent exchanges that ensue are as heartbreaking as if we were watching the problems that are prevalent in America today. The director’s message that “forgiveness” is necessary, rather than an exchange of violence, resonates with the viewer. Of course, this film does not end with a happy ending. The director’s heartbreaking skill in making each audience member think about the “conclusion” of the film’s plot is to be commended.