I am not familiar with the works of Martin McDonagh, but it’s been pretty difficult to escape the tide of praise that has washed over the director recently following the release of The Banshees of Inisherin. Pegged as the frontrunner for Best Picture at this years Academy Awards, I felt obligated to check it out considering I hadn’t heard a single bad thing about the film. Whilst the Best Picture nominees often don’t tickle my fancy too much, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to say that I did rather enjoy my time with The Banshees of Inisherin.
The year is 1923 and the Irish Civil War is beginning to die down. Off the coast of mainland Ireland is the island of Inisherin, where friends Colm (Brendan Gleeson), a musician, and Pádraic (Colin Farrell), a farmer, live peacefully. That is until Colm abruptly ends his friendship with Pádraic, entirely unprompted and for seemingly no reason. Unsure how to cope with the rejection, Pádraic desperately attempts to reconcile with Colm who goes to increasingly drastic lengths to get Pádraic to leave him alone.
The year is 1923 and the Irish Civil War is beginning to die down. Off the coast of mainland Ireland is the island of Inisherin, where friends Colm (Brendan Gleeson), a musician, and Pádraic (Colin Farrell), a farmer, live peacefully. That is until Colm abruptly ends his friendship with Pádraic, entirely unprompted and for seemingly no reason. Unsure how to cope with the rejection, Pádraic desperately attempts to reconcile with Colm who goes to increasingly drastic lengths to get Pádraic to leave him alone.
I won’t pretend that I truly understand what The Banshees of Inisherin was about, but I can’t deny that I didn’t have a good time with it. Concerning itself with matters of mortality and legacy, the film has this dark and sombre core that’s wrapped up in a film that’s incredibly funny.
McDonagh’s dialogue hits all the right beats in every single moment of the film, in fact I don’t think I’ve seen a screenplay so perfect since The Social Network in 2010. It’s made even better by the perfect casting and chemistry of Farrell & Gleeson. Farrell being this optimistic and rather naïve fellow who enjoys life’s simple pleasures such as talking rubbish with his friends whilst sipping a pint at the pub; and Gleeson being this completely deadpan and gloomy presence that feels as though he’s casting a shadow over everything.
They aren’t the only brilliant performances though. Kerry Condon plays Siobhán, Pádraic’s sister. She’s arguably the only person on Inisherin who has her head screwed on properly, and desperately seeks a life away from the island though feels compelled to stay because of her brother. Then there’s Barry Keoghan who plays Dominic, an endearing simpleton with a tragic homelife that befriends Pádraic. They both bounce off Farrell’s personality really well, and Keopghan in particular finds those moments in McDonagh’s script where he can really dig in deep, whether they be tragic or funny.
I must say I didn’t get the best read of the film as I needed to watch it in three separate sittings, but the film does move at an extraordinary pace and being around two hours long it feels just the right length. It explores every possible avenue of Pádraic and Colm’s relationship without ever lingering around longer than it needs to. This steady pace I think is aided by the film’s constant need to physically keep its characters moving. Inisherin is not a big place and the characters likely walk the entire island over the course of the film, using four base points to keep returning to (Pádraic’s house, Colm’s house, the pub, and the village market). But with this constant movement we’re also shown the beauty of Inisherin through Ben Davis’ stunning cinematography.
If you get the chance, I’d highly recommend checking out The Banshees of Inisherin, regardless of whether you’re a fan of the Oscar’s or not. Whilst it may feel like a film designed to play into the academy’s good graces, it is actually a film that’s genuinely well made. I adored the screenplay, and the excellent performances only made that more of a treat. Whilst the ending isn’t exactly uplifting and hopeful, it’s a film I can very easily see myself returning to several times over whenever I’m in the need of a good laugh, or perhaps even a good cry.
McDonagh’s dialogue hits all the right beats in every single moment of the film, in fact I don’t think I’ve seen a screenplay so perfect since The Social Network in 2010. It’s made even better by the perfect casting and chemistry of Farrell & Gleeson. Farrell being this optimistic and rather naïve fellow who enjoys life’s simple pleasures such as talking rubbish with his friends whilst sipping a pint at the pub; and Gleeson being this completely deadpan and gloomy presence that feels as though he’s casting a shadow over everything.
They aren’t the only brilliant performances though. Kerry Condon plays Siobhán, Pádraic’s sister. She’s arguably the only person on Inisherin who has her head screwed on properly, and desperately seeks a life away from the island though feels compelled to stay because of her brother. Then there’s Barry Keoghan who plays Dominic, an endearing simpleton with a tragic homelife that befriends Pádraic. They both bounce off Farrell’s personality really well, and Keopghan in particular finds those moments in McDonagh’s script where he can really dig in deep, whether they be tragic or funny.
I must say I didn’t get the best read of the film as I needed to watch it in three separate sittings, but the film does move at an extraordinary pace and being around two hours long it feels just the right length. It explores every possible avenue of Pádraic and Colm’s relationship without ever lingering around longer than it needs to. This steady pace I think is aided by the film’s constant need to physically keep its characters moving. Inisherin is not a big place and the characters likely walk the entire island over the course of the film, using four base points to keep returning to (Pádraic’s house, Colm’s house, the pub, and the village market). But with this constant movement we’re also shown the beauty of Inisherin through Ben Davis’ stunning cinematography.
If you get the chance, I’d highly recommend checking out The Banshees of Inisherin, regardless of whether you’re a fan of the Oscar’s or not. Whilst it may feel like a film designed to play into the academy’s good graces, it is actually a film that’s genuinely well made. I adored the screenplay, and the excellent performances only made that more of a treat. Whilst the ending isn’t exactly uplifting and hopeful, it’s a film I can very easily see myself returning to several times over whenever I’m in the need of a good laugh, or perhaps even a good cry.