The Banshees of Inisherin
Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
- Released:
- Runtime: 114 minutes
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Stars: Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, Pat Shortt, Gary Lydon, Sheila Flitton, Jon Kenny, David Pearse, Bríd Ní Neachtain
- Director: Martin McDonagh
Comments
- darrenbjones - 12 January 2023
A fantastic film about violence and its consequences.
What on the surface seems to be a tale of two men, whose friendship has ended, slowly descending into hate and violence, is actually a metaphor condemning violence, war, and conflict.
Set against the Irish Civil War (1921-1922), when an Ireland recently united in a War of Independence (1919-1921) turned on itself, The Banshees of Inisherin is the story of Colm and Pádraic, part of a tiny community on a small island off the Irish coast, who likewise end a long friendship and turn on each other.
Colm wakes up one day feeling that he needs to leave a legacy to the world, but his friendship with Pádraic is getting in the way, so he ends it, offering no real reason why until pushed.
Pádraic can't accept this, continuously pestering his former friend who just wants to be left alone to create a musical legacy to leave the world. It's a decision that ultimately leads to madness and violence that both men inflict on themselves, each other, and the community around them.
As with war, sectarian violence, and conflict, ultimately it's the community and innocents around the warring parties who suffer the most.
Both Gleeson and Farrell offer fantastic performances, their genuine lost friendship is clear in the loss both men suffer, and there is a spectacular supporting cast helping writer director Martin McDonagh bring the film to life. The most compelling performances though (aside from the two stars) come from Barry Keoghan as Dominic, and Kerry Condon as Pádraic's sister Siobhan.
It's a fascinating and fantastic film, the parallels to the internal conflicts that have left such visible and lasting scars on Ireland are clear, but it's the wider condemnation of war and violence that lifts this. Combined with a self important Church, and a corrupt Police, both representing Government and social structures that hinder, ignore, and exacerbate the violence through self interest or a refusal to intervene, The Banshees of Inisherin is a film that will leave you thinking for a long time after its finished.
