1991 Movie
Dir. Joel Coen · United Kingdom, United States of America · English
A writer succumbs to dark depths in this surreal and stylish film from the Coen Brothers
Barton Fink is remarkable for many reasons, the most immediate of which is its style. Fink’s Hollywood, contrary to most depictions, is retro and rotting. Walls drip with all kinds of fluids while halls stretch out to infinite emptiness. It’s chilling, but maybe not as chilling as it is to realize how timeless its themes are. A century after Barton Fink’s setting and decades after the film’s release, writers—and artists in general—still struggle with questions of high and low art, still struggle to reconcile their principles with their privileged positions. A lot of things clash in Barton Fink, but the resulting chaos is compelling, and very hard to look away from.
A renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.
"Scene after scene is filled with a ferocious strength and humor."
— Variety Staff
In 1941, the playwright Barton Fink (John Turturo) is asked to write a script for the esteemed Capitol Pictures in Hollywood. Struggling to reconcile the high-paying offer with his leftist beliefs, he suffers from writer’s block, until he gets help from his new friends Charlie (John Goodman) and Audrey (Julie Davies).
That woman in the picture stays with you long after, haunts you even. The Coens did well to not give immediate answers and explanations about who or what she actually symbolizes.
It feels right that a film about writer’s block is this dark, eerie, and bloody.
Oscars
3 noms
Cannes
3 wins
Golden Globes
1 nom
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
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