Oscar Isaac channels Bob Dylan in first trailer for Coen Brothers' 'Inside Llewyn Davis'

The release of any new film from the Coen Brothers is a reason for celebration and song, and "Inside Llewyn Davis" appears to be no exception, as indicated by the film's mesmerizing new trailer. 

"Drive" co-star Oscar Isaac plays Llewyn Davis, a young folk singer new to the 1960s New York music scene. He carries an acoustic guitar, a stray cat and dreams of changing the world with his music, in the vein of a young Bob Dylan. Along the way, he meets various Coen-ish characters, played by the likes of Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund, John Goodman and F. Murray Abraham.

The film is reportedly loosely based on folk singer Dave Van Ronk's memoir "The Mayor of MacDougal Street," although it appears to be a mostly fictionalized tale, and Dylan is alluded to not just visually and narratively, but by his song "Farewell," which is played throughout the trailer. 
 
Watch the trailer here:

Visually warm and lit with a nostalgic glow, "Davis" was shot by Bruno Delbonnel ("Amelie," "Dark Shadows") instead of their regular DP Roger Deakins.

Mulligan and Goodman both look like strong standouts in a supporting cast boasting some big time talent, with both getting in some great zingers. On the flipside, Timberlake is barely glimpsed in the initial trailer. 

With that strong cast, "Davis" is hoping to reach the same stratospheric heights of their recent Oscar-winning work "No Country For Old Men" and the Oscar-nominated "True Grit," although "Davis" obviously won't explore the same issues of violence and masculinity. It looks more in line with the '60s nostalgia of 2009's "A Serious Man," crossed with the musical odyssey of their 2000 musical-comedy "O Brother Where Art Thou?" 

"Inside Llewyn Davis" doesn't yet have a U.S. distributor or a release date, but expect that to change soon.

What do you think of the trailer?

Dave Lewis
Producer

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Dave Lewis has been a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer and editor for nearly ten years. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, he moved to L.A. in 1996 to attend USC, before working for various periodicals and web sites including a lengthy stint at Variety.com. He joined the HitFix staff in 2011.