The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) Movie Review
In The Banshees of Inisherin, Padraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson) are best friends living on an island off the coast of Ireland in the early 1900’s. One day Colm announces he no longer wants to be friends with Padraic and can’t give any good reason for ending their friendship. Padraic is baffled by this sudden proclamation and like any good friend, pesters Colm to let him in on what he’s done to bring about this death sentence to their friendship. The townspeople are all invested in this as well and give Padraic advice on how to approach the situation. When Colm grows tired of the pestering, he warns Padraic to stay away lest he begin mutilating himself. Yep, self-mutilation is on the table here and it’s one of the strangest occurrences we’ve seen this year.
We won’t spoil exactly what happens because it’s honestly so bizarre you need to see it with your own eyes. But writer and director Martin McDonagh has crafted another interesting and odd portrait of life and relationships. The characters are memorable and Farrell and Gleeson both put in reliably good performances that bring them to life. Padraic is a bit simple and lives with his sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) who is much too smart to be living in a town where virtually nothing happens. He tends to his animals and has an affinity for letting his mini donkey inside the house, despite the protests from Siobhan. Taking care of his animals, hanging around Colm, and getting a pint each day at the pub is the simple routine of Padraic’s life and he is content with it.
Colm is a fiddle player and is a bit more introspective than Padraic. He complains about having to listen to Padraic talk about the shits his animals take (hilariously delivered by Farrell) and other mundane aspects of life that are apparently preventing him from pursuing other loftier activities like composing new music. McDonagh dives into these two mens’ psyches and along the way reveals some interesting insights on life and the meaning we derive from it. Colm sees his life nearing its end and wants to avoid having any regrets about things he has not done or pursued. Padraic is less reflective and wants to keep doing the things he’s enjoyed for his whole life.
Their relationship struggles are set amidst the backdrop of the Irish Civil War in 1923 which provides a rather obvious metaphor for the plot. Luckily that’s the most on the nose part of the movie as McDonagh weaves together a wonderful story of friendship that alternates between light-hearted banter and absurdly dark subject matters. Gleeson and Farrell have the type of chemistry that most actors only dream of. Their easy manner with each other is fun to watch and McDonagh supplies plenty of daggers for them to throw at each other to keep things interesting. The dialogue is most of the intrigue with insults flying as fast as dismembered limbs (this is literal and trust us, you’ll need to see it to believe it). The Banshees of Inisherin might be the oddest movie you’ll see this year but Gleeson, Farrell, and Condon all give award-worthy performances and the story is memorable enough for you to dissect long after the credits roll.
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You like stories about friendship
2. You like McDonagh’s style of filmmaking
3. You want something offbeat
