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"The Banshees of Inisherin" dir. by Martin McDonagh


"The Banshees of Inisherin"

Where I watched it: Disney+

This film is fantastic. On its surface it's a simple story of two Irish men who have found themselves at odds with one another. Beneath that, it's an allegorical take on the Irish Civil War of 1922.

The film centers around two men, Pàdriac (Colin Farrel) and Colm (Brendan Gleesan) while the Irish Civil War plays out in the background. The set up comes in the way of Colm no longer wanting to continue his friendship with Pàdriac due to his desire to focus on the more "intellectual" pursuit of composing music rather than spending his time exchanging meaningless conversation with what he considers a "dull" person.

This sets the story in motion and Pàdriac, not satisfied with Colm's assessment of him as "dull" decides to be persistent in finding out the real reason behind the discontinuation of their friendship. In his attempts to do so, he is met with a strange and masochistic ultimatum: if Pàdriac continues to talk to Colm, Colm will cut off his own fingers, one by one until Pàdriac leaves him alone.

This in itself is a perfect summation of the Irish Civil War. Two parties, of the same ilk, at war with each other over values that are not necessarily even clear to the combatants. The idea of harming one's self in an attempt to come out victorious over a perceived antagonist is a powerful analogy.

There is a sense of humor about this film that is much appreciated during moments of overwhelming heartbreak for our poor Pàdriac who struggles to come to terms with the perception of him being the village dunce. A lot of the laughs in this film comes in the way of the unanimous village dullard, a young man named Dominic played masterfully by Barry Keoghan.

The tension is always high and is utterly engaging. The entire spectrum of emotions is squeezed out of the audience as the film weaves in and out of sadness, joy, hope, despair and even at times terror.

The acting in this film is superb as well as is the cinematography and directing, it's no wonder this has been nominated for so many Academy Awards this year.

9/10
 

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