By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Tucked between big budget box office hogs is this independent Irish film from the mind of the great writer/director, Martin McDonagh. “The Banshees of Inisherin” does not feature mind blowing action and special effects but will ensnare the mind with its introspection. It is a dark comedy that provokes awkward laughter and melancholic relatability.
The film is set on a remote, sparsely populated island off the west coast of Ireland during the Irish Civil war that lasted almost a year from 1922-1923. Padraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson) are best friends, or were as Colm decides one day to end their friendship rather abruptly. With no symptomatic event to rationalize the divorce, Padraic refuses to believe Colm could be so cold and attempts to repair the friendship.
Siobhan (Kerry Condon), Padraic’s sister, and Dominic (Barry Keoghan), an eccentric young islander, get involved to help the kind pushover, Padraic through this challenging situation. When Padraic refuses to accept this dissolution, Colm digs his heels in further by giving a brutal ultimatum that he will slice off his own fingers one by one every time Padraic so much as speaks a word to him. Events quickly unravel, leading to dire unexpected consequences that shake the sleepy island town.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” reunites filmmaker Martin McDonagh with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson who all previously worked together on the incredible hidden gem from 2008, “In Bruges.” Farrell and Gleeson have an undeniable on-screen dynamic, working extremely well off each other to provide a believable frenemy situation.
Colin Farrell is wonderfully charming as the kindhearted dairy farmer who is happily content with his mundane life of working until 2pm, and then fetching his best friend to go to the only pub on the island and share some pints. Farrell brilliantly shows the inner turmoil his character feels about losing his best friend for no apparent reason. He creates such a rich performance, initially obsessing over the why and how to fix, leading him to feelings of loneliness and despair that give way to jealousy and anger.
Equally amazing was Brendan Gleeson, who alternatively displays a quiet sullenness to an aging character that is coming to grips with his own mortality, fearing that he will be quickly forgotten after his death. Through his character, he defines leaving behind a legacy as best done through accomplishments rather than relationships, which challenges the audience to think about their own lives through that lens. Gleeson superbly adds that stoic stubbornness to make his character immobile in his beliefs.
Martin McDonagh is a terrific writer/director who earned two Oscar nominations for his last film, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” in 2017. Unlike his previous films, he sets up “The Banshees of Inisherin” almost like a murder mystery with the murder being that of the friendship between the two main characters. As unexciting as that may sound, McDonagh hooks the audience to the mystery of what caused the fractured friendship. Along the way, he incorporates brilliant symbolism like the background sounds of canons firing in the distance that seem to escalate as the increased tensions build between the characters, drawing parallels to civil war.
McDonagh’s screenplay is cleverly written with witty dialogue that elicits laughter at the characters’ own expense. Meanwhile, he steers the audience down a path of lonely hopelessness, hitting with profound questions, like what is the meaning of life? He challenges the audience to think about these questions with relation to which character they most closely identify.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” is a cerebral film that will have audiences thinking about it long after the credits have rolled. For those who have experienced a close relationship that was terminated without reason, you’ll find this film to be quite relatable. If you’re looking for a movie that provides mind numbing entertainment, this is not the movie for you.
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