The cat in *Inside Llewyn Davis* isn't just a runaway pet — he might be the key to the entire film. In this video, we break down the symbolism behind one of the strangest, most debated details in Joel and Ethan Coen's 2013 masterpiece: why does a folk singer's story keep colliding with an orange tabby cat, and what does it mean that the cat's name is revealed, late in the film, to be Ulysses?
We dig into the cat's connection to Homer's *Odyssey* (via James Joyce’s *Ulyssses*) the visual choices that link Llewyn and the cat from the film's opening minutes, the significance of there being more than one cat in the story, and what the cat reveals about Llewyn Davis’ (Oscar Issac) character.
This video is a companion piece to our full two-part episode on *Inside Llewyn Davis* on the **They Shoot Films** podcast, where we go even deeper — the film's circular structure, Oscar Isaac's transformation into a folk musician, the real Greenwich Village scene the film is drawing from, and the devastating final scene that gives the whole story its shape. Link to the full episode below.
🎧 Listen to the full episode: https://www.theyshootfilms.com/inside-llewyn-davis-part-1/
🔔 Subscribe for more Coen Brothers and film analysis breakdowns
*Inside Llewyn Davis* stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund, and F. Murray Abraham, with music produced by T Bone Burnett.
Tags: #InsideLlewynDavis #CoenBrothers #OscarIsaac
