The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
One of 2022’s best films and one of the finest acted films of recent memory.
Blends bleak and dark comedy, with a multi-layered look at friendship, loyalty, betrayal, trust, and regret. Powerfully written and brilliantly constructed by writer/director Martin McDonagh.
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are dynamic together, but this may not only be the finest performance of Farrell’s career, but Barry Keoghan steals his scenes with a bittersweet and melancholic turn as a troubled local boy.
NO
Unapologetic in his approach, Martin McDonagh does not shy away from making his brand of comedy a bit uncomfortable and at times tough to watch. If cynicism has no place in the comedy you like. these banshees may not howl for you.
Some feel that there simply is not enough story here for a feature-length film. Odd take, but more than a few have felt the film is padded and drawn out unnecessarily.
Trigger warning for references to sexual abuse and the possibility of animals in peril. Also, not for the squeamish.
OUR REVIEW
“I just don’ like ya no more.”
One simple response from the gruff, husky Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) to puppy-dog eyed Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell), asking why Colm won’t get a drink with him at the local pub anymore, sets in motion a cataclysmic series of events in the outstanding Martin McDonagh film, The Banshees of Inisherin. Unflinching, blunt, and raw, this is one of 2022’s best films.
Farrell’s Pádraic is a kind-hearted, loyal soul who considers Colm his best friend on the remote (mythical) Irish island community, circa 1923. With the Irish Civil War ricocheting across the water, far enough to avoid conflict but close enough to share concerns, “everything was fine yesterday,” Pádraic tells his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) after Colm refuses to answer his door. Their daily pub visits now abruptly interrupted, dismay gives way to confusion to a flat out termination of a friendship when Colm finally tells Pádraic how he feels.
Though it sends Pádraic reeling, McDonagh pivots ever so subtly off that main story and whisks us around the island community. We settle in with the regulars at the pub, learn that Colm is quite the savvy fiddler and loves his dog. Pádraic handles deliveries across the island, with one shopkeep constantly wanting “news” from the other side of the island. Siobhán tends to the family home she shares with Pádraic and a stubborn donkey named Jenny that her brother adores.
A constant presence of unpredictability is found in Dominic (Barry Keoghan), the scattered, damaged son of a brutish, bullying police officer (Gary Lydon). Once we get a feel for Inisherin and its inhabitants, McDonagh drives us headlong into the heart of the matter and Colm’s ultimatum: If Pádraic continues to try and talk to him, Colm will begin cutting off his own fingers.
The shocking demand is so outrageous that no one, and of course not Pádraic, believes that Colm will ever do such a thing. If you have seen a Martin McDonagh movie before (In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), you know full well that Colm is not playing around and almost begging for Pádraic to call his bluff. Needless to say, The Banshees of Inisherin is not exactly for the squeamish.
Throughout the ensemble cast, McDonagh benefits from some of the finest performances of the year. Farrell has never been quite this good, radiating pain, frustration, and an eventful burning within his being that cannot be bottled up forever. His hangdog demeanor stiffens with rigor and resolve, and we get the sense that for the first time in his life, Pádraic must summon feelings he has never been able to express before.
Gleeson, pairing up with Farrell for the first time since McDonagh’s 2008 offering In Bruges, is equally as brilliant. His firm, measured defiance sets a boundary that Pádraic increasingly challenges. When Colm decides whether or not to follow through with his ultimatum, Gleeson eventually balances a juxtaposition brilliantly orchestrated between the two characters.
Condon’s Siobhán proves the voice of reason through all of this, desperate to find her way off an island and community she finds increasingly unkind. And perhaps the film’s most striking turn comes from Keoghan, who creates a character in Dominic who is almost feral in his approach to norms and proper behavior, but retains a touching heart of gold that simply wants to find a warmth and affection he has never been able to feel or share with anyone.
McDonagh’s films are never easy to digest in one sitting. His themes are complex, live in shades of gray and often leave viewers contemplating what they have watched as they exit a theater or shut off the television. The Banshees of Inisherin, for all of its bombast and confrontation and all of its brusk, toxic bravado, is also a film about the folly of it all. Yet, it also raises questions: Why can’t Colm just have a damn drink with the guy? If he is truly fed up with him and finds Pádraic truly annoying and off-putting, is there anything to gain by tolerating the things that drive him nuts? Do we gain anything by flat out telling someone we can’t stand them, then expect a peaceful co-existence?
From the instant Pádraic wanders up to Colm’s cottage, you become invested in the story. As McDonagh often does with his films, we dive right in with minimal delay or context. Through his exceptional writing and visioning, McDonagh paints the broad picture for us, trusting that will be enough for the actors and audience to connect with one another. He also benefits from outstanding editing by Ben Davis, who crafts a lilting rhythm and cadence from scene to scene, complemented masterfully by a tremendous Irish folk music-influenced score from Carter Burwell.
The Aran Islands, located in Ireland, stand in for the fictional Inisherin community, and Mark Tildesley and Michael Standish’s production and set design offer a detailed invitation into a world McDonagh wants us to breathe in, feel, and live within, as we contemplate how we would navigate an increasingly impossible set of circumstances.
Is the film going to be off-putting for some? Sure. Slightly absurd in the decisions borne out of pride and supposed self-importance? Absolutely. Is it bleak and uncompromising? Fecking yes it is!
Yet no matter how you cut it, The Banshees of Inisherin is a stark reminder of how ego, pride, and an incessant need for control can consume anyone. Sometimes the results end in tragedy. Sometimes people just seek resolution alone on a beach, listening to the waves, with a dog resting at their feet. No matter how we arrive at those moments, must we damage one another to find peace within ourselves? And at what cost?
CAST & CREW
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, Gary Lydon, Pat Shortt, David Pearse, Sheila Flitton, Bríd Ní Neachtain, Jon Kenny, Aaron Monaghan
Director: Martin McDonagh
Written by: Martin McDonagh
Release Date: October 21, 2022
Searchlight Pictures/Walt Disney Studios