The Banshees of Inisherin

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (15)

D: Martin McDonagh

Searchlight / Film4 / Blueprint / TSG (Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin & Martin McDonagh)

UK/US 🇬🇧🇺🇸 2022

114 mins

Comedy/Drama

W: Martin McDonagh

DP: Ben Davis

Ed: Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

Mus: Carter Burwell

Colin Farrell (Pádraic Súilleabháin), Brendan Gleeson (Colm Doherty), Kerry Condon (Siobhán Súilleabháin), Barry Keoghan (Dominic Kearney), Gary Lydon (Peadar Kearney), Pat Shortt (Jonjo Devine), Sheila Flitton (Mrs McCormick)

Martin McDonagh’s 2022 black comedy reunites Colin Farrell & Brendan Gleeson following their previous collaboration on 2008’s In Bruges.

Set In a small village on a remote island off the Irish coast during the 1920’s, lifelong friends Pádraic and Colm have a falling out for no particular reason. Pádraic is left despondent by this turn of events and repeatedly tries to rekindle the friendship by any means necessary, whilst Colm adamantly rebuffs his efforts, even going so far as to threaten to mutilate himself should Pádraic not accept the fact that they aren’t friends anymore.

The performances of the two leads are amongst the best work they’ve ever done, whilst the supporting performances of Kerry Condon as Pádraic’s sister, Siobhán and Barry Keoghan as Dominic, the village idiot, also deserve the highest praise, particularly the former, who really should have won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

The narrative of the movie may be a shaggy dog story with no real resolution, but it’s also an excellent metaphor for the Irish civil war, which is heavily referenced throughout.

8/10