The tension between individual justice and community solidarity. The Ambiguity of Redemption
Peter Dinklage, John Hawkes, Abbie Cornish, and Lucas Hedges. Featurettes & Behind the Scenes Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) threebillboardsoutsideebbingmissouri2017u
McDonagh defended the film as a “dark comedy” about people’s capacity for change. He noted that Dixon does not become a saint – he merely stops being a monster. He noted that Dixon does not become a
Conversely, defenders of the film, like scholar Oliver Kenny, argued that the film’s strength is precisely its depiction of every character as flawed and problematic. He noted that the film is unusual for refusing to depict the rape itself and for refusing to offer a crowd-pleasing, eye-for-an-eye revenge narrative. Instead, "it entwines everyone in its narrative... each of whom is worthy and flawed, invoking empathy and open to negative judgment". Instead, "it entwines everyone in its narrative