We discuss:

Representing the American Midwest, the especially lives of people in Minnesota

Tonal ambiguity and cinematic strangeness!

Carter Burwell’s genre-bending score

Ironic parallels between Fargo and Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960)

William H. Macy’s oddly charming performance as a loathsome character

The film’s connections with westerns and films noir

The film echoing Shakespeare’s problem plays and/or theater of the absurd (notably Waiting for Godot)

No Country for Old Men (2007) as the inverse of Fargo

A Serious Man (2009) as it resonates with the humor of Fargo

The subversion of narrative and gendered norms, especially in the strength of Margie’s character and in relation to Classical noir

A harsh winter environment for offsetting and understanding the warmth and softness of Margie

A feminist approach to the characters of both Margie and Jean

The value of gallows humor

Defining a worldview of the Coen Brothers, in terms of confronting awful things with hilarious details

Finding surprising depths of morality, especially in relation to ideas of greed and toxic masculinity

The significance of a key representative scene featuring two non-main characters: Officer Olson and Mr. Mohra

How the film speaks to current trends in the political climate of America

What morals we can learn from the film NOW, going beyond its nostalgic value

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