“The Banshees of Inisherin” Review
Brenden Gleeson (Left) and Colin Farrell star in “The Banshees of Inisherin” as two friends split apart by circumstance and eventual bitterness off the coast of Ireland.
If there’s one thing that is common around November and December, it’s slow-moving dramas which are guaranteed to be the talk of the town come Oscar season. Some of these films are revealed to be nothing but pretentious pieces of fluff that are too long, melodramatic and so lifeless. “The Banshees of Inisherin” is the exact opposite of that. With incredible performances and a moody liveliness to it, this film is an example of an award-contending period-piece drama done right.
Set on the titular island of Inisherin off the coast of Ireland during its Civil War of 1923, folk musician Colm (Brenden Gleeson) and farmer Pádraic (Colin Farrell) are the best of friends and grand drinking buddies. But one day, Colm decides that he doesn’t want to be friends with Pádraic any more and stops talking to him, leaving him as confused about the severed friendship as we are. The further Pádraic pries into why Colm is acting the way he is, the bigger their eventual feud becomes which leads to each man making dangerously irreversible choices.
What truly had me invested in this film were the magnetic performances of Brenden Gleeson and Colin Farrell. While the entirety of the film shows their divisions and how that eventually becomes animosity and contempt, their performances are able to convey that a friendship once existed. Farrell’s performance is that of a simple guy with very few pursuits, but he still is interesting. He has a deep love of animals which instantly attaches you to him. Meanwhile, Gleeson is portrayed as being crotchety but with a passionate love of music and incredible skill as a songwriter.
Alongside the supporting performances of Barry Keoghan as Dominic, a local boy who’s discontent with the state of the island, and Kerry Condon as Siobhán, Pádraic’s well-read sister, the cast is full of great talent and mystery as you want to know more about them and their wants.
Gleeson and Farrell’s incredible performances make for an investing duo of friends whose friendship is abruptly cut short by Gleeson.
The island itself is practically a character with beautiful landscapes, sprawling farms and, of course, a well-stocked pub. If films like “Braveheart” and “The Princess Bride” didn’t convince you that Ireland is a beautiful land, I hope that “The Banshees of Inisherin” does. If this film has taught me anything, it’s that I want to see the landscapes of the Emerald Isle before I die. However, for many characters, this island feels more like a prison where everyone is too old to do anything or young and angry at those who are too old to do anything. With nothing better to do, why shouldn’t there be a feud?
If you’ve seen writer/director Martin McDonaugh’s work, you’ll understand two things watching “The Banshees of Inisherin.” First, his work is slow and atmospheric. Second, this film rivals McDonaugh’s other work including “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” It’s a masterfully told film that shows how the kind of feud you’ve seen can happen. While we know about all the grand historical feuds as well as some local feuds, what most of them have in common is that they start from a personal place, often friendship.
Despite serious subject matter with lines being drawn and crossed and some drastic actions taken by both parties, what surprised me was how much comedy was in the film. When I was watching this film and the characters said a witty line or there was a brilliant visual gag, the audience didn’t just chuckle. They laughed hard with all of their might. Without giving anything away, the reason why Colm has decided to end the friendship was delightfully mean-spirited and I’m not ashamed for laughing since that was McDonaugh’s goal in the first place.
I wouldn’t classify “The Banshees of Inisherin” as a comedy or a delightful film because it is fairly serious, but it does have entertainment within it. It’s the kind of film that you walk out of thinking “that was so meaningful and I’ll never forget it” as opposed to a film like “Blonde” which was so serious and melodramatic that I wanted to take a shower with a toaster.
If you’re looking for a masterful character drama to get you in the mood for a more serious season of theatrical releases, “The Banshees of Inisherin” captures that beautifully and will stay in your mind. It tells its story in a real, unpretentious way and is dramatic in the best sense of the word.
