Banshees of Inisherin (2022) Review

9.8/10

Banshees of Inisherin (2022) is everything right with modern cinema. The film is set in early twentieth century Ireland (in the midst of a raging civil war) on Inisherin - a fictional island off the coast. Even after the the breakthrough success of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), Martin McDonagh follows it up with what may end up being his magnum opus. Colin Farrell is marvellous as Pádraic, a man struggling to find a deeper meaning in his life and failing to understand why Colm (Brendan Gleeson) no longer wishes to be his friend for undisclosed reasons. Colm is having a personal crisis, realizing he has spent too much of his life in pointless conversation, and wants to pursue music as a means of being immortalized. Pádraic struggles to understand this, even after Colm notes he will cut a finger off of himself every time he tries to speak to him, and finds comfort in the presence of his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) and the local troublemaker Dominic (Barry Keoghan). Banshees of Inisherin is a beautiful film about the frailty of friendships and the impact of mental health and despair during the time.

While the story of Pádraic and Colm is front and centre, the film still manages to flesh out its secondary characters so wonderfully. Siobhán resembles her brother in some ways, but she is much more sure of herself and takes the risk in moving to mainland Ireland away from her childhood home. In an important scene, Colm says: “I do worry that I might just be entertaining myself while staving off the inevitable.” Pádraic is both blinded to, or due in part to his depression, has accepted his inevitable fate while Siobhán realizes hers and decides Inisherin has nothing left to offer her. Mrs. McCormick (Sheila Fitton as the elderly neighbor/witch like character) plays the role of the “banshee”, a spirit in Irish legend who foreshadows the death of young Dominic. Dominic’s screen time is some of the most entertaining, especially his confession of his love towards Siobhán. “There goes that dream.”

In terms of criticisms, they are few and far between. The movie features stunning shots of the Irish countryside and long shots of untouched land and valleys. The simplistic nature of the settings immerse you into the fictional village and the dialogue is among the most powerful of the decade. As well, the film’s soundtrack must be noted as impactful, really controlling the tone of the movie and allowing it to flow so naturally. Some of the film’s shocking moments come in the form of the un-seen (first half) and then through visuals (latter half). For example, the revelations of Dominic’s abuse, and the true motivation for Colm’s behaviour. Then later, Colm’s severed fingers being thrown at the door, and the death of both the donkey and Dominic.

The Irish Civil War occurred from 1922-1923 and its tension mirrors the relationship between Pádraic and Colm (and also his sister, in a way). Some wanted partial independence and some wanted complete independence (from England). Farrell plays the role of those in support of the treaty and, unfortunately, Pádraic cannot comprehend Colm’s newfound lack of friendship. Arguably the most incredible aspect of the film is the way that Farrell is established as the clear protagonist of the film, and we can empathize with him in so many ways (his mental state, and all of the loss he experiences) but as we enter the final quarter of Banshees he starts to exhibit antagonistic traits. Clearly, ending a friendship without cause is not a good thing, but inherently Colm has done nothing wrong. As a result of Pádraic’s behaviour, silence is exchanged for violence and he burns down Colm’s house as we reach the film’s culmination - ensuring that he and his work will never be remembered. This could also reflect the filmmaker’s personal beliefs on the pointlessness of war and civilian violence.

“Some things there’s no moving on from.” This is a direct comparison of the Irish civil war to the relationship of the two. At the film’s conclusion, Pádraic leaves him in silence to look out at the coastline as they still hold conflicting beliefs about the ending of the war, and how the division in their relationship will never be able to fully heal.

The movie was nominated for nine academy awards and won three Golden Globes. Banshees of Inisherin is a phenomenal display of strong writing and perfect casting. It has been a while since I have seen a film I can consider near-perfect and it is becoming increasingly rare for me to say that about a film released post-2010. This is an incredible depiction of troubled relationships, despair, and ambition. I applaud McDonagh and the rest of the cast and crew for a brilliant movie.