SPOILERS
I thought the movie was clumsy. But also kind of effective. I want to talk about the main criticism about it these days: the idea that it gives redemption to Dixon. I believed what I read. I thought it would be true. And at some point in the movie, I thought it was. And then the last ten minutes happened. That? A redemption? At the end, Mildred and Dixon succumb to their worst instincts. I suppose that the "discourse" around Mildred transformed her into a badass woman, almost a super-hero...? Well, she is and...she isn't...She acts out of anger and despair. The fact that she isn't in conflict with the sheriff is a great idea. Did she need these billboards? Not really. Kind of. She isn't dumb and she knows there's probably nothing to do. Nothing to do except paying for billboards, expressing her pain, her yearning for someone to answer her question: who raped my daughter while she was dying?
Dixon is violent. He's racist. He's still racist and he's still violent at the end. Mildred is still despaired and angry. Their union is, I thought, heartbreaking in a special way—I absolutely don't forgive Dixon for his racism or anything. Do I have some empathy for the anger? Yes. Yes. My main issue with Dixon is in the beginning of the movie, when he's supposed to be funny while everyone around him can't stop to speak about how he's beating black people: that's not good. I guess the movie does try to convey empathy for Dixon. He does try to do better, but then he fails. He's who he is.
Their finale failure was, in a way, beautiful, too. Like that moment of peace before you jump into the river, I guess.
Hey. What's the point of all this? Let's go. Let's end this.
(But that was a clumsy movie.)