With seven Oscar nominations and a big Golden Globe win for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Three Billboards is a frontrunner in this year’s BP race, and I was quite curious to see what all the fuss is about. The acting is good—Frances McDormand is very convincing as the mother whose grief over her daughter’s unsolved murder leads her to embark on a personal crusade to motivate the police to find the killer. The plot is decent and has my brain whirling a bit at the moment, but this film is not for the faint of heart (or weak of stomach—it’s got me feeling a bit nauseous at the moment). It’s pretty intense and rather gruesome at parts—and the language is atrocious—but it doesn’t shy away from current issues such as race, police brutality, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. Surprisingly, in a film so focused on retribution, the most meaningful moments are those with hints of forgiveness and reconciliation. I liked those parts.

Why It Might Win BP

Three Billboards is raw, dark, disturbing, and in-your-face. It tells a good story, but it nearly makes its viewer ill in doing so. It promotes women “socking it to” incompetent men who have abused them (for those who live under rocks, mistreated women standing up for themselves is pretty much the theme of every evening newscast these days). Gone are the glorious sweeping epics of Braveheart and Gladiator (alas!); in their wake, we get this kind of F-word-crazed, shock-happy tale of morbidity and near-madness. This is exactly the kind of film that has been doing well awards-wise in recent years.

Why It Might Not Win BP

If Three Billboards has a weakness (in the Academy’s eyes), it’s difficult to pinpoint it. There are some confusing moments in the plot; and some of the dialogue, especially early in the film, is difficult to understand. But I don’t think either of those two issues will really hinder the success of this film on Sunday. In my mind, the only thing that can prevent Three Billboards from winning BP is if it is simply eclipsed by a more beautiful story—for, let’s face it, Three Billboards tells a compelling story, but it is not lovely.