Review: Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson's THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN Tells a Beautifully Nasty Story
Martin McDonagh, the director of In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, is back with another fantastic film, titled The Banshees of Inisherin. McDonagh is an incredibly talented filmmaker and storyteller, and I’ve been impressed with every film that he’s made, so this is a movie that I’ve been very much looking forward to watching.
If you’re also a fan of McDonagh’s work, I’m happy to tell you that The Banshees of Inisherin is a dark comedy that does not let you down. It’s another brilliant film, and it tells a wonderfully nasty story about friendship and civil war. The movie reunites Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, and they once again play so well off each other and give incredible award-worthy performances. I just enjoy the hell out of watching these two actors work together because the chemistry they have is simply awesome.
The story is set on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. Farrell plays a character named Pádraic, who is devastated and heartbroken when his longtime close friend Colm, played by Gleeson, suddenly shuts down their lifelong friendship. He wants nothing to do with Pádraic, and he’s willing to make insane threats if Pádraic continues to try and speak with him. One of those threats includes cutting off one of his own fingers every time that he talks to him.
As you might imagine, Pádraic is so confused by Colm’s decision to end the friendship and he just won’t stop trying to get his friend back. With help from his sister Siobahan (Kerry Condon) and a troubled young islander Dominic (Barry Keoghan), Pádraic sets out to repair the damaged relationship by any means necessary.
The problem is, Colm's resolve only strengthens, and both of their actions lead to shocking and tragic consequences. This goes in a direction that I was not expecting.
The Banshees of Inisherin is also an absolutely beautifully shot film! When talking about this added beauty, the director said: “I wanted it to be as beautiful as possible. To aim for beauty and for cinema. 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. I’ve seen a lot of U.K. and Irish films that don’t seem to aim for the cinema as their number one choice.”
This is one of the many things that I appreciated about the movie. The Banshees of Inisherin is a must-watch film for anyone that simply loves film. I hope you head to the theaters to watch it and see this story play out for yourself.
