Movie Review: 'The Banshees of Inisherin'

The Banshees of Inisheren (2022)

Directed by Martin McDonough

Written by Martin McDonough

Starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan

Release Date November 4th, 2022

The Banshees of Inisherin stars Colin Farrell as a farmer named Padraic whose life is thrown into chaos when his closest friend, Colm (Brendan Gleeson), randomly decides that they are not friends anymore. Without explaining why, Colm refuses to answer the door when Padraic comes to call at the usual time to go to the pub. Later, Colm returns only to find Colm has left to go to the pub. He assumes this means they will meet for a pint but at the bar, Colm tells Padraic to leave him alone.

Did Padraic get drunk and offend his friend? He doesn't think so but Colm won't say either way. Eventually, after prodding from Padraic's sister, Siobahn (Kerry Condon), and the local priest, during confession, Colm finally says what is going on. In a blunt conversation, Colm says Padraic is boring and conversations with him are a waste of time. Colm wants to spend what life he has left, however many years that is, building a legacy for himself by writing music and creating art and he can no longer afford to have Padraic wasting his time with nattering, inane conversations about farming.

The story of The Banshees of Inisherin is set in 1923 on a fictional island off of the coast of Ireland. The tiny village is lined with rock walls and dirt walkways and roads. Everyone is in everyone else's business all the time. Gossip is trade on Inisherin and thus, the unexpected conflict between Colm and Padraic becomes a top conversation. As the story evolves and the sweet, naïve, and sensitive Padraic tries to reach out to his friend, things take a dark and darkly comic turn. I don't want to spoil any of the oddity of The Banshees of Inisherin, the strange and unexpected twists and turns, especially from Gleeson's Colm drive the second start of the third act of The Banshees of Inisherin.

The Banshees of Inisherin is strange only because it's a story that isn't often told in movies, a story of male friendship and companionship. Director Martin McDonagh is exploring the complex dynamic of masculinity and friendship in a sensitive and terrifically odd way. The character of Padraic is representative of a group of men who define themselves in their work, they keep their head down and they let the world happen around them. Colm, through his age and experience, is eager to be a man with a legacy, a man to be remembered. He wants to make things happen while Padraic just wants to have a pint with someone.

The unique dynamic between these two men, one complicated and fraught, the other simple and resigned, is fascinating as much for the heart and soul that Gleeson and Farrell invest in these characters as it is for the unusual topic of complicated male friendships. I'm resisting assigning political metaphors to each character but that is certainly one reading. One man thinking of the future and a legacy, the other wanting the world to stay as it is. One man willing to go to extremes to push forward the other lost in despair at what is being lost.

There is a beauty and a sadness in that reading of The Banshees of Inisherin and whether or not that's what Martin McDonagh is trying to say with the film, I don't know for sure. It is something that resonated in my mind while I watched it and it enriched my experience of the film. That said, if you don't read into the meaning or potential metaphors at play in the film, you will still find an oddly moving and deeply felt dark comedy capable of eliciting laughs and tears in equal measure and in the most unexpected ways.

The brilliant young character actor Barry Keoghan plays a supporting role in The Banshees of Inisherin and, as usual, he's incredible. Keoghan's uniquely chaotic energy, his unpredictable nature, is exciting in every role he plays but feels particularly at home in this film where he feels both deeply out of place and absolutely necessary to the proceedings. As usual, he's a man out of time, capturing the chaos that can enter life at any moment and giving that chaos a human dimension.

The Banshees of Inisherin is a film that embraces small moments of humor, the awkwardness of everyday interactions, and the unpredictable nature of relationships, friendly, familial, or otherwise. You can plan for every day to unfold in the exact same way but those plans are not going to work out. Some people roll with the punches and look to the future while others crumble in the face of uncertainty. How each interact with the other, for better or worse, is at the heart of this unusual, thoughtful, shocking and unique film.

The Banshees of Inisherin is in theaters nationwide as of November 4th. Find my archive of more than 20 years and nearly 2000 movie reviews at SeanattheMovies.blogspot.com. Follow me on Twitter at PodcastSean. Follow the archive blog on Twitter at SeanathetheMovies. Listen to me talk about movies on the Everyone's a Critic Movie Review Podcast on your favorite podcast listening app. If you've enjoyed what you have read, consider subscribing to my work here on Vocal. If' you'd truly like to support my work you can do so by making a monthly pledge or leaving a one time tip. Thanks!