Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a 2017 black comedy crime film film written, directed, and produced by Martin McDonagh. It stars Frances McDormand as Mildred Hayes, a Missouri woman who rents three roadside billboards to draw attention to her daughter's unsolved rape and murder. Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, John Hawkes, and Peter Dinklage appear in supporting roles. The film was theatrically released in the United States in November 2017 and in the United Kingdom in January 2018 by Fox Searchlight Pictures, and it grossed $162 million at the worldwide box office.

It received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for McDonagh's screenplay and direction, and the performers of its ensemble cast (particularly McDormand, Rockwell and Harrelson). It won numerous accolades, including five BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. It also received seven nominations at the 90th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning Best Actress (McDormand) and Best Supporting Actor (Rockwell).

Plot

In the fictional town of Ebbing, Missouri, Mildred Hayes is grieving over the rape and murder of her teen daughter, Angela, seven months earlier. Angry over the lack of progress in the investigation, she rents three disused billboards near her home and posts on them: "Raped While Dying", "And Still No Arrests?", "How Come, Chief Willoughby?". Many townspeople are upset by the billboards for singling out local police chief Bill Willoughby, whose pancreatic cancer diagnosis is an open secret. Willoughby visits Mildred to persuade her to take them down, but is unsuccessful. He renews his efforts to solve the case, but does not get anywhere.