The Banshees of Inisherin, 2022.
Written and Directed by Martin McDonagh.
Starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, Gary Lydon, Pat Shortt, Jon Kenny, Sheila Flitton, David Pearse, and Bríd Ní Neachtain.
SYNOPSIS:
Two lifelong friends are at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both.
Sometimes, friends just fall out with one another. In the case of The Banshees of Inisherin (the follow-up to writer/director Martin McDonagh’s Best Picture winner Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Colin Farrell’s Pádraic Súilleabháin has trouble accepting that his best friend (I guess you can make that former best friend, now) Brendan Gleeson’s Colm Doherty no longer wants to be around him.
More specifically, Colm doesn’t want to be bothered by Pádraic and be subjected to inane drunken two-hour-long ramblings about what he saw in his donkey’s poop. Colm has some years on Pádraic, now with existential dread creeping in as he wonders what legacy he will leave behind on the small population of the early 20th-century fictional Inisherin island – and during the backdrop of an Irish Civil War functioning as a metaphor for what ensues – under the impression that he has roughly 12 years left to live.
A talented fiddler, perhaps music is the road of artistic expression for Colm to leave something behind, but even that might prove tricky given his reactions to Pádraic insisting on making conversation and digging deeper into why the friendship is no more. On some level, The Banshees of Inisherin is already relatable; who hasn’t had a friend they outgrew for one reason or another that they simply never wanted to see again? Listening to Pádraic might test anyone’s patience, especially considering the contrast in gorgeous real estate (strikingly photographed by Ben Davis) to the island’s loneliness and nothingness. It’s enough to make anyone seek a philosophical change or new lease on life. Colm also goes a step further and cites Pádraic as too polite and boring.
Pádraic seeks advice from all over the village, including his voice of reason and outspoken sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) and dimwitted young adult alcoholic Dominic (Barry Keoghan), from which he often receives conflicting words. It’s evident that Siobhan sees this village as the black hole of personal fulfillment it is, increasingly frustrated by the men’s immaturity. Meanwhile, Dominic is looking to make a connection and get laid (there aren’t many choices, so I’m sure you can immediately figure out who he hilariously and awkwardly attempts flirting with), also serving as a streak of bad influence to Pádraic.
None of this stops Pádraic from interjecting himself into Colm’s business, now friends with Dominic’s father, a nasty police officer violently abusive to the boy. Fumbling his way through conversation after conversation that elicits laughter, Pádraic finally gets on Colm’s last nerve, who, in his depressed midlife crisis, vows to cut off one of his fingers for every day he is annoyed by Pádraic.
The above lights the fuse for a darker turn in tone, which doesn’t stop The Banshees of Inisherin from being a howler (it is the funniest movie of the year by far, and it’s not even close competition). If anything, the razor-sharp back-and-forth dialogue from Martin McDonagh only further becomes venomously amusing. Colm is deadly serious about his threat, even if it will interfere with his instrument-playing abilities (presumably because this whole ordeal might turn him into a legend in a different way, or maybe there is something freeing about severing off flesh). And while one might be inclined to assume the film falls into repetitive trappings, it assuredly knows how to flip the script one more time (although not every loose end is perfectly tied up).
Additionally, Pádraic goes on an inner journey assessing his kindness and approach to interacting with others (there’s a scene where he attempts to be mean for reasons I won’t spoil, but the whipsmart banter and subsequent punchline resulted in what might be the hardest I’ve ever heard a screening room laugh, with me among the dozens losing it). He also still has his donkey – which Siobhan is constantly getting on his case for allowing into their home during dinner time – with the film intelligently fixated on the palpably powerful bonds between humans and animals (one of the film’s best sight gags also carries a great deal of emotional weight).
None of this would be nearly as sidesplitting if it weren’t for the central performances from all involved. There is a pathetic touch that you can’t help but feel sorry for in Colin Farrell’s performance that eventually transitions into something quietly explosive. Brendan Gleeson is also extraordinary at selling his existential nightmare and following through with his actions. However, Kerry Condon nearly walks away as best in the show, simultaneously grounding these unhinged personalities as much as possible while flipping out on them in the process.
There’s also a chance that nothing I have written sounds like a comedy, but that’s more a testament to the twisted genius of Martin McDonagh. Admittedly, there comes a point where The Banshees of Inisherin enters full-on drama mode, but the previous laughs still sit there stuck in your throat, propelling the finale forward. It’s rare to come away from a movie so hilarious that is as equally profound. As unapologetically warped a film about friendship as this is, it’s also filled with honest and raw humanity. Put it this way: I would risk cutting off one of my fingers if you don’t at least laugh your head off.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
