'Inside Llewyn Davis' Trailer: The Coens Explore '60s New York

For their follow-up to 2010's True Grit, Joel and Ethan Coen are heading to a whole other time and place. Based on the memoir The Mayor of MacDougal Street by musician Dave Van Ronk, Inside Llewyn Davis follows the a rising singer-songwriter (Oscar Isaac) through the folk music scene in '60s New York. The film's been at the top of my most-anticipated list pretty much since the moment I heard about it, and today we finally have a look at some footage. Watch the first trailer after the jump, but be warned that it contains a bit of salty language.

I could've done without some of the more thuddingly obvious bits of symbolism, like the "What are you doing?" bathroom graffiti, but otherwise this looks fantastic. Garrett Hedlund looks like he walked straight over from the On the Road set, but Carey Mulligan looks almost unrecognizable as Llewyn's very bitter ex. And speaking of Llewyn, it's wonderful to finally see Isaac take center stage after the string of strong supporting performances that have comprised his recent career. John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, F. Murray Abraham, Adam Driver, Alex Karpovsky, and one very cute cat round out the rest of the cast.

Inside Llewyn Davis isn't quite ready to make its debut just yet, but the video above is actually an invite for a private screening next month. Advance buzz from an earlier friends-and-family screening was good, as you might expect, but we'll have to wait a little while longer to get some real reviews. Look for the film to hit some festivals later this year, perhaps starting with Cannes. Then, with a little luck, it should hit normal, non-festival theaters by the end of 2013.