Martin McDonagh returns in stunning form with the mournfully hilarious tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin. Set against the backdrop of the Irish Civil War, it traces the breakdown of a friendship in a small island community, which unravels with devastating consequences.
★★★★✰
The events of The Banshees of Inisherin are defined by a simple premise. What, in our short time on this earth, do we seek to leave behind when we’re gone? For Colm Sonny Larry (Brendan Gleeson), a sudden realisation has dawned—he has nothing to show for his life, not one lasting legacy to his name. In ten, perhaps twenty years, he will perish, and what will he have to show for it? Zilch, naught, nothing whatsoever. He will be nothing but a fleeting memory, fading away in time.
As Colm hits breaking point, he is overcome by these feelings of anguish, burdened by a crushing weight of hopelessness plaguing his every waking moment. His despairing thoughts are only amplified by his close friend Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell), a dull but inoffensive dairy farmer, content with his simplistic life on Inisherin. Each day, at two o’clock sharp, Pádraic calls on Colm as he makes his way to the pub, their sole distraction on an island that has little else to offer in the way of entertainment. But for Colm, these mind-numbingly tiresome outings with Pádraic are just another reminder of his banally unfulfilling existence. There’s only so many times he can hear about the make-up of the faecal matter left by Pádraic’s beloved donkey, Jenny.
So, what is Colm to do? Break off ties with his best friend, of course. Pádraic is left devastated, but more than anything, bewildered—just yesterday, everything seemed normal, so why has Colm decided to cut off contact? Pádraic’s emotional and psychological naïveté leaves him wanting for answers. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is ruled by his emotions, which directly conflicts with Colm’s unwillingness to talk to his friend. Instead, Gleeson’s character chooses to bite his nose to spite his face, to cut an issue off completely rather than tackle it head-on. As tensions rise, Pádraic’s distress is soon replaced by resentment, and his resentment ultimately transforms into animosity, igniting a bitter feud between the former friends.
It’s in solitude that Colm believes he can craft himself a legacy, one of music and melody, written in isolation without any meaningless distractions. Cinematographer Ben Davis captures the intrinsic beauty found in the remoteness of Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands, which provides the setting for the fictional Inisherin. Davis’ camerawork evokes stylistic similarities to John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary, making the most of the vast, empty beaches and the far green country to build on this atmosphere of seclusion, intensifying Colm’s gloomy outlook on life.
On the mainland, the Irish Civil War rages on, as the noisy clamour of canons and gunfire drifts across to the somewhat oblivious island. The disintegration of Colm and Pádriac’s relationship is itself an allegory of the conflict, a profitless dispute which spirals out of control, causing irreversible damage between both parties. More so, it’s the innocent bystanders who are drawn in against their will that are most affected. Barry Keoghan does what Barry Keoghan does best as oddball outsider Dominic, a companion and support system for Pádraic who wants nothing more than to escape from his violent father. Kelly Condon, meanwhile, puts herself in contention for a Best Supporting Actress nod as Pádraic’s exasperated sister Siobhan, acting as the voice of reason in a dispute which so quickly gets carried away, while growing more and more disillusioned by the confines of life on Inisherin.
Martin McDonagh continues to prove himself as one of the most distinctive voices working in Hollywood. Banshees caps off a tremendous quartet of features for the self-proclaimed London-Irish director, combining many of the most celebrated aspects of each of his previous films into a single, mournful tragicomedy of devastating proportions. Fourteen years may have passed since the release of In Bruges, but the wickedly whimsical chemistry between Farrell and Gleeson remains just as entertaining now as it did then, more so perhaps, as the two riff off of each other with hilariously dire consequences.
Through his latest film, McDonagh delivers a study of male camaraderie gone sour. It’s through this introspective approach to masculinity that he illustrates many of the typical issues displayed by men suffering with the melancholy that can come hand-in-hand with questioning one’s own mortality. As amusing and ridiculous as Banshees gets, it’s the dark undercurrents layered within that speak loudest, opening up a dialogue around male dejection and depression, a matter which so frequently goes unspoken.
The Verdict
Fans of Martin McDonagh will find much to love in The Banshees of Inisherin. It combines the dark humour of In Bruges with the dramatic tension of Three Billboards, resulting in a black comedy as witty as it is gloomy. By the dramatic conclusion, it’s clear that there are no winners in this futile dispute, just the charred remnants of a once cherished friendship.
Words by Jake Gill
The Banshees of Inisherin screened at the BFI London Film Festival and is in cinemas now.
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In the movie Brendan Gleeson’s character is called Colm Doherty, but in the script he’s also referred to as “ColmSonnyLarry”. It seems like this is a shorthand for Colm, son of Larry but I’m not Irish enough to know.
I have heard that many say Colin Farrell’s films are not that good, but I tend to disagree, as I love his acting and performance he gives!