The official trailer for Martin McDonagh’s upcoming Irish drama, The Banshees of Inisherin, has been released. The film marks the on-screen reunion of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, who previously worked together in McDonagh’s 2008 black comedy In Bruges.
Set against the backdrop of the Irish Civil War in 1923 on the fictitious island of Inisherin, The Banshees of Inisherin centres around Pádraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson)–two lifelong friends who find themselves at an impasse when Colm abruptly ends their friendship.
Shocked by his decision, Pádraic refuses to take no for an answer. However, his repeated efforts to rebuild their friendship only serve to make the conflict worse. Events quickly escalate as Colm delivers a desperate ultimatum with distressing consequences in store for both of them.
Aside from Farrell and Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan will also appear in the supporting roles of Siobhán and Dominic respectively.
Martin McDonagh’s films are renowned for their sharp blend of drama and dark comedy, with The Banshees of Inisherin seeming like no exception. As the trailer ensues we, like Pádraic, are equally as bewildered by Colm’s comically blunt reasoning behind ending their friendship: “I just don’t like you no more.”
After laying the foundations for the story, we get short glimpses of conversations between the two characters, each as uncomfortable as the next. These interactions suddenly take a darkly comedic turn when Colm threatens to cut his own fingers off if Pádraic doesn’t stop talking to him. Tensions quickly rise in the final moments of the trailer, as short scenes of violence and anger are spliced between title cards, intensified by the quickened pace of an unsettling score.
This film is the first feature that McDonagh has shot and set in his native Ireland, on the islands of Inishmore and Achill. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he discussed the film’s aesthetic quality: “I wanted it to be as beautiful as possible…Because if you heard of a story of two guys grumbling at each other, and you didn’t have the epic kind of beauty, it might get a little tiresome.”
“[Inishmore] has been featured in Irish literature for the last 150 years. It hasn’t really been shown too often in movies–not that part of Ireland,” he added. With a trailer that has comedy, suspense and a slightly unnerving edge, audiences can expect to be entertained and enthralled when The Banshees of Inisherin premieres on 21 October.
Words by Katie Heyes
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