Fantastic Fest 2022: The Banshees Of Inisherin — A Feckin' FEEL-Bad Banger
Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
The Banshees Of Inisherin is a feckin’ banger that thoughtfully twists tragedy and absurdity into a satisfying cinematic confection. The film reunites writer/director Martin McDonagh with In Bruges stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, and in many respects, it can be viewed as a spiritual sequel to McDonagh’s debut. Both films masterfully blend melancholy and comedy, evoke a fable-like feel laced with tragedy, take place in a titular location, explore similar themes, and center around a relationship between two men, but each explores a different side of love and friendship. Banshees is the Yin to Bruges’ Yang; where Bruges finds its two leads strengthening their bonds, Banshees observes their gruesome dissolve.
After a brief introduction to the bright, sunshiney (and fictional) island of Inisherin, which features rolling hills of green and an oceanside views, McDonagh immediately plunges us right into the middle of the dispute. Within minutes, we’re informed that Brendan Gleeson’s Colm, the island’s resident fiddler, no longer wishes to speak to his long-time friend and drinking buddy Pádraic, a simple farmer who’s played by Colin Farrell. Pádraic may not be the brightest bulb in Inisherin, but he’s a nice lad, and his world is flung into a state of complete disarray by Colm’s sudden decision to cut communication. When pressed for a reason, Colm simply states: “Just don’t like yah no more,” and when Pádraic persists, Colm informs him that if ties aren’t completely severed, he’s committed to lop off a finger every time he’s bothered by Pádraic’s pleas for friendship, which is a pretty serious threat, given you can’t rightly fiddle with no fingers.
McDonagh trades in the gothic architecture and fairytale feel of Bruges for the idyllic beauty of the Irish countryside here, which creates strong contrast between the visuals and the narrative’s dark tendencies, but he uses the location in similar ways to In Bruges. Just as Bruges serves as a Dante-esque purgatory for its characters, the fictional island of Inisherin also imprisons its characters and spurns the existential crisis that rests at the heart of this Grimm breakup tale. McDonagh’s choice to set the film in 1923 at the tail end of the Irish Civil War also gives his friendship feud an extra layer of symbolism — and irony — which gives it a more profound punch than McDonagh’s previous efforts. His direction is more restrained and less flashy than his previous two films, Three Billboards and Seven Psychopaths, and the writing seems to tap into McDonagh’s theater roots more so than any of his other films.
The film’s modest compositions reinforce the simplicity of the story, but they also smartly create space for the writing and performances to shine. Gleeson and Farrell burn electric at the center. They both deliver marvelous performances and make McDonagh’s superb dialogue sing with comedic charge and emotional weight. As good as Gleeson is, it’s Farrell who emerges as the biggest standout; he really gives Pádraic an emotional depth and tortured complexity that really resonates. The film is further anchored by the amazing supporting performances, particularly that of Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan who really capitalize on their limited screen time. There’s also two animal performances (a donkey and a dog), which add an extra layer of charm to a film teeming with personality and class performances.
Banshees exploration of its themes is not only entertaining, but it gives you a lot to chew over after its all said and done, and it’s a film that lingers well beyond the credits. The film contemplates mortality, legacy, the stubbornness of men and the effects, physical and emotional, of foolish war. It functions as an appeal for niceness and a wake-up call for the divide petty differences can create. It kind of asks what any of it matters, human progression or artistic expression, if we’re not nice to one another. How will we be remembered after we’re gone if we’re not kind to the ones who live on?
It might not be as blisteringly funny as In Bruges, but it’s still damn funny — one of the year’s best comedies — and it boasts a level of profundity and sadness that McDonagh hadn’t captured since his debut. It’s easily McDonagh’s most heartbreaking narrative and gorgeously photographed film to date, and while it’s apt to give you a bout of melancholia, it’s also guaranteed to make you laugh-out-loud before you go crying into your pint. It’s as dark as pint of Guinness, and it goes down just as velvety smooth.
Recommendation: Banshees is another win for Martin McDonagh. It’s definitely a strong end-of-the-year contender, and it’s a film you should seek out in a theater.
Looking for more?! Put those shears away, and check out the links below:
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri review
Five Fun Facts About Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Fantastic Fest 2022 articles
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Fantastic Fest 2022 podcasts
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