The Banshees of Inisherin

Rating

Director

Martin McDonagh

Screenplay

Martin McDonagh

Length

1h 54m

Starring

Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan

MPAA Rating

R

Original Preview

Click Here

Review

A fertile ground for cinematic exploration, life in Ireland has been a vibrant and fascinating part of film history and director Martin McDonagh is making certain that his legacy is filled with such works with The Banshees of Inisherin being one of his best.

Metaphor lies heavily over the events of McDonagh’s follow up to Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Returning to his native Ireland, McDonagh reunites with his In Bruges stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Farrell plays Pádraic Súilleabháin, a simple-minded farmer on an island off the coast of Ireland whose best friend and drinking buddy, Colm Doherty (Gleeson), abruptly decides he no longer wants to be friends with him. Distressed over the rebuke, Pádraic tries desperately to rekindle their relationship only to find himself rebuffed in increasingly alarming ways.

Farrell’s stint as a popular Hollywood pretty boy allowed audiences to believe him an incapable actor, but as In Bruges proved, he is a magnificent one. His performance in this film is even better than his work in that film. Farrell’s disbelief and consternation come through with subtlety in a quietly passionate performance that simmers through countless slights before finally bubbling over. Gleeson, for his part, plays the unconcerned compatriot with grim determination, insistent that he leave a legacy by focusing on his musical compositions rather than wasting his time listening to Pádraic prattle on about inane things. Kerry Condon, as Pádraic’s concerned sister Siobhán, gives a fierce portrayal of the loving sibling who nevertheless wants to seek out a more refined life on the mainland and escape the simplistic and dull life of the island. Barry Keoghan also delivers a fine performance as the mentally challenged son of one of Pádraic’s neighbors who wants desperately to find a woman, but is too uncouth to secure one and otherwise finds himself in unenviable and precarious situations.

The banshees of the title are based on the female Irish spirits who would wail at the approach of death, their keening calls a portent of ill tiding. In this film, the most important imbodiment of a banshee is an old woman who the island seems to disregard as a harmless creature with no prophetic power, but as the events of the film progress, her warnings are dire indeed.

McDonagh’s film is set against the backdrop of the Catholic-Protestant hostility in Ireland known as “The Troubles.” Neighbors once familiar and friendly turned violent as religious ideologies conflict and violence is incited. The people on the fictional isle of Inisherin are largely removed from the conflicts and wonder how people who once lived in harmony could so easily fall out of disfavor. The metaphorical connection is obvious, but keenly observed. A subtle slight turns into increasingly antagonistic altercations between the pair with Colm choosing to cut off a finger to catalyze his assertion that he no longer wants to communicate with Pádraic, and the war of words and actions emerges as a result.

McDonagh’s skill with and ability to attract high quality actors comes through in each of his films. The Banshees of Inisherin is just another feather in McDonagh’s cap and it might be the film that finally wins him the full roster of accolades he deserves.

Oscar Prospects

Guarantees: Picture, Directing, Actor (Colin Farrell), Supporting Actor (Brendan Gleeson), Supporting Actress (Kerry Condon), Original Screenplay, Film Editing
Probables: Original Score, Production Design, Costume Design
Potentials: Supporting Actor (Barry Keoghan)

Review Written

December 28, 2022