Martin McDonagh’s Sublime Exploration of Friendship Soured

Lifelong friends call it quits on a lonely island during the Irish Civil War. The Banshees of Inisherin tells a bleak and often humorous tale of sad endings. The riveting devolvement of deeply personal relationships strikes a sobering tone. The hurt and loss that one feels often means freedom for another. That’s difficult to accept but an unfortunate truth. The brilliant writer/director Martin McDonagh constructs vivid characters in a melancholic setting. You’re not sure how to feel as the film takes darker turns. There are no villains in a story of pursuing happiness at any cost.

Set on the imaginary Irish island of Inisherin in the spring of 1923, Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell) goes to the local pub for the usual imbibement with his best friend. Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) isn’t at the bar. Pádraic gets a troubling reason when he visits Colm at his seaside home. Colm no longer wants to be friends. He will completely ignore Pádraic if they’re in the same place. Colm closes the door on a stunned ex-bestie.

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Pádraic is confounded by this turn of events. He can’t fathom what he’s done to upset Colm. Pádraic’s dear sister and housemate, Siobhán (Kerry Condon), advises him to stay away from Colm. He’s a serious man who’s always true to his word. Pádraic cannot help but cheerily approach Colm the following day at the pub. Colm icily warns that he’ll cut off a finger every time Pádraic attempts to speak to him. He’ll start with his treasured fiddle-playing hand first.

Superb Character Portrayals in The Banshees of Inisherin

The Banshees of Inisherin grabs you with superb character portrayals. Farrell, in one of his best performances, emotes a simple man lost by complexity. Pádraic has no issues with their rote island lives. He’s satisfied caring for his beloved donkey, sheep, and cows. Pádraic cannot see the depression that’s overtaken Colm and Siobhán. He’s confused why she cries herself to sleep. Even the war taking place in Ireland doesn’t affect his daily routine. Pádraic’s world collapses when the people he holds dear turn away from him. He experiences loneliness, despair, and eventual anger for the first time.

Colm isn’t a malicious person but manifests his resolve in destructive ways. He wasn’t kidding about shearing off his fingers. Colm’s self-mutilation ups the ante to a disturbing level. A horrified Pádraic doubles down on his quest to repair their friendship; which results in more lopped digits. The second act escalates the situation from comedic to heartbreaking. Bygones will never be bygones for Colm.

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Trapped in a Place That Never Changes

Searchlight Pictures 

McDonagh (Seven Psychopaths, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) is a master of character development. His second outing with Farrell and Gleeson, after the superb In Bruges, continues to show how different people react to their surroundings. Colm, Siobhán, and Dominic, the island “dim” played wonderfully by Barry Keoghan, are repressed without recourse. They are trapped in a place that never changes. Inisherin is both a paradise and prison. It’s lush, rolling green hills hide inner turmoil and pain. Pádraic takes comfort in his known surroundings. He can’t be the sympathetic ear to drown sorrows. This lack of perception is not a fault but a fact. McDonagh paints a disconcerting picture of the human condition.

The Banshees of Inisherin is produced by Film4 Productions, Blueprint Pictures, and TSG Entertainment. It will have a theatrical release on October 21st from Searchlight Pictures.

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