Here’s a little film that reunites Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson under director Martin McDonagh—you might remember them all from the very…brash cult classic In Bruges. And, while much less sweary, here’s a film that also ends up as dark as it is comic, while also taking a broader look at all the silliness and tragedy of life with the Banshees of Inisherin.
Set on the titular island off the coast of Ireland in 1923, this is one that establishes its strengths very quickly off the bat. There’s some gorgeous cinematography showing off the rugged landscape here, with all the scale-like fields on the wind-beaten hills of the island. Then we get to Farrell and Gleeson themselves—the former, as he often does, plays a bit of a schmuck. In this case, he’s a well-meaning but slightly dim fella living with his sister who one day suddenly finds that his best friend (Gleeson) just doesn’t want to talk to him for reasons he’s unwilling to explain. You’ll probably get some chuckles out of Farrell’s somewhat clueless efforts to get an answer—and more when he finally does.
The rest of the cast is no less solid—there’s Kerry Condon as Farrell’s sister Siobhan, who also happens to be the only level-headed character in the whole thing. Barry Keoghan is Farrell’s young friend Dominic, who is also fittingly friendly if not the brightest bulb, but a character who stays approachable even as the proceedings get worse. Scattered throughout are fleeting but amusing characters you often see in Irish comedy, like a foul-mouthed priest or a rather shady town constable, with no weak link that I can think of.
Now, if you’re in for an uplifting story…this won’t be it. Things only get darker as our two stubborn leads test each other more and more, and while both aren’t invalid in their animosity, there’s of course no willingness to compromise. Through the film, the Irish civil war remains as a pointed backdrop even if it doesn’t really factor into the plot—leaving no small implication of what our two idiots might represent.
The film does end with one more amusing line at least—but still, there’s enough laughs and well-done performances that the darkness that comes next feels earned enough. And through it all, the backdrop of Inisherin is shot and shown well enough that, with its bleak landscape and weird townsfolk, it feels just the right sort of setting for all of this.
It probably won’t be for everyone, but Banshees of Inisherin is definitely one I enjoyed—simple though it may be, there’s plenty to discuss and think on when you end up digesting it. If any of that sounds appealing, it’s a good a viewing as any on a cold winter’s day…
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