The Banshees of Inisherin

 

The Banshees of Inisherin
Starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan
Directed by Martin McDonagh

When you think about it, friendship is a strange thing. You find a stranger that you never knew your entire life, and you realize you got some things in common, and all of a sudden you're hanging out with each other all the time and opening your home and life to them without a thought. You become vulnerable and open almost naturally, and there's hardly a better feeling in the world than knowing there's someone out there who not only has your back, but you have theirs as well - which makes it all the more tragic when a friendship ends. Sometimes it ends when one friend does something to offend the other, or a betrayal that goes far beyond a happenstance inconsequential error. But then there's friendships that end...just because. There's no falling out due to hurt feelings, no heartbreak after a shattering revelation - a friendship that dies just because is the worst, because you don't understand why it happened. Still, it happens - we grow up, we move on, we find a different purpose in life, and sometimes those friends of our past hold us back or prevent us from moving forward, so we have to cut them off. It doesn't make the pain any less, and while this usually occurs with female friendships, male friendships also suffer, but unlike when it happens to women, men usually don't know fully how to cope and manage the devastating loss of a friendship.

In the small Irish village of Inisherin in 1923, Padraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson) are the best of friends. They go for drinks constantly, they get together daily, and everyone on the small island town knows it. But one day Padraic arrives at the pub and Colm tells him he doesn't want to be his friend anymore - he wants to focus his life on his violin playing and creating his own music - something that he'll be remembered for, and Padraic is simply too "dull" for his taste. Despite Padraic's sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) and eccentric pal Dominic's (Barry Keoghan) attempts to calm Padraic down, he is deeply hurt by Colm dropping him as a friend, and sets out to not just find out why, but rekindle that friendship. Colm meanwhile is also deeply in despair, worried that he'll die and no one will remember who he was, which is why he dropped Padraic in the first place. As Padraic continually prods him, Colm offers an ultimatum - every time Padraic tries to talk to him, he'll cut off a finger and deliver it to his house. The tensions continue to rise between the two former friends as it all comes to a head that threatens not just themselves, but the people around them as well.

Director and writer Martin McDonagh is a master at his craft, and although he's only directed a handful of films, they've all been spectacular, earning him several Oscar nominations for his writing. He infuses dark comedy and tragic pathos in equal measure, disarming you with hilarious moments before driving the stake through your heart. He also has a knack for writing rich, full characters that often honor is traditional Irish roots, and most notably working with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in 2008's "In Bruges" about a hitman and his friend in the aftermath of a terrible accident. The film earned McDonagh an Oscar nomination for writing, and his 2017 Americana masterpiece "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" earned him another nod for writing, as well as Best Picture, and earned Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell the golden statues for their compelling performances. Now he's reunited with Farrell and Gleeson in what easily will garner all of them accolades and nominations for one of the best films of the year.

"Banshees" focuses on the oft-ignored issue of the loss of friendships for men, and how they handle it. It's difficult generally for men to express their emotions, and it ends up coming out in harmful and troubling ways. While Padraic is indeed "dull" as Colm states, he is also a man with a heart of gold who'll go out of his way for anyone, and has a rather wholesome appeal, despite his lack of knowledge. He is content with living with his loving sister, having a pint with his BFF, and caring for his pet donkey Jenny - he doesn't want to be remembered for the ages, and doesn't even know who Mozart is - he sees the good and he doesn't understand why his former friend is so cold and mean all of a sudden, thinking there must be some emotional turmoil going on in his life.

Padraic proves he's not always dull because he hit the nail on the head. Colm is going through a bought of despair, being an older man he's concerned about the end of his life and what he'll be remembered for. He decides to focus all his time on his music, and Padraic is now just an annoying fly on the wall to him. He doesn't care about being nice, because, as he said, who in history has ever been remembered for being nice? While everyone knows of a midlife crisis, Colm is facing an end-of-life crisis, even though he shows no signs that he'll be departing this mortal coil anytime soon. Still, he feels its more important to focus on his music than pointless conversations with Padraic, and goes to great lengths to stop him from bothering him, including threatening to cut off his fingers (a deeply symbolic gesture since he wants to be remembered for playing the violin, which would be exceedingly difficult without disposable digits) - which is all the more intriguing because they live on a very small island with very few inhabitants, so it's natural they'll constantly come into contact with one another.

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, as I said earlier, give awards-worthy performances which are driven by their long real-life friendship and comradere with McDonagh, something that comes off all the more strong because of their tight-knit bond. You feel the emotion through each scene, and even though some come off for laughs, there's a very deep, very introspective feel that serves as the heart of the story, and both men pull it off brilliantly.

Not to be outshined, Kerry Condon excels as Padraic's long-suffering sister Siobhan, who doesn't understand what's happening but also knows enough to try to diffuse the situation before it escalates further, and even has her own side story to contend with. Likewise, Barry Keoghan (who Farrell worked with back in "The Killing of a Sacred Deer") steals the show as Dominic, a troubled young man who's constantly beat by his father and who has no filter - he says what he's thinking, even if no one around him cares.

As it goes with most men, their emotions are pushed to the bottom of their gullets, and they find it difficult to express how they're really feeling. This is where Padraic and Colm switch places - Colm is the more "dull" of the pair in that he can't really express his despair to Padraic and instead shuns him, while Padraic is very in-tune with his feelings and expresses them freely. This is a very deeply written dramedy by one of the maters of character-driven stories, and it's wholly fascinating to watch.

The Score: A+