Don_Cheech — 10 years ago(February 20, 2016 01:25 PM)

In r16d0esponse to another thread- I began to ask myself- what are the Coens really trying to say. I decided to make my response its own thread- so hopefully I can get more discussion on the matter. What are they trying to say? What is their "thesis" if you will? The only film I feel is entirely different is True Grit, as it really is a simple western. Alot of people think they are pretentious- but I think its just the Coen way- abstract symbolism. This was the comment:
Its important to remember their films are often about
pointlessness

• and in a way-
  randomness
  . How we are never in control- no matter how much we think we are.
  A Serious Man
• (its pointless to try to answer every question- especially about God, as we simply cannot explain everything. Accept the mystery. Life is random)
  No Country For Old Men
• (Greed is pointless- as it often will defeat you and everyone involved. One cannot predict random obstacles in life)
  Fargo
• (again- Greed is pointless, as in- it can usually catch up to you and cause you more problems than you originally had.)
  Inside Llewyn Davis
• (sometimes- ambition can be pointless. Not everyone succeeds- no matter how talented they are. Fame and success have an unpredictable path.)
  those 4 films stuck out the most for me. I sort of forget how Blood Simple ends- so I scratched that out.
  So- the theme of pointlessness might be hard for some people to grasp. Its not a clear/ tangible concept- but its very real. Life is random. The coens know this. Its a part of why theyre films are so interesting IMO
  edit: Have not seen Hail Caesar!