‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ is at once a petty and profound film.
I say petty because the plot is relatively simple – two best friends reach a crossroads in their lives when one of them (Colm Doherty) abruptly terminates their lifelong friendship. The movie focuses on the other friend’s (Pádraic) attempts to salvage their friendship with alarming consequences for both of them. At times, the actions of the friends seem extreme – to the point of being farcical. In fact, when Pádraic’s troubled simpleton friend Dominic finds out about the falling out between the lifelong friends, he asks “Is he 12? To fight with you?”. That, in a nutshell, sums up the pettiness of it all.
But I also say profound because the movie, which is set in 1923, is a metaphor for the Irish Civil War that brews in the background while the residents of the fictitious island of Inisherin just off the West coast of Ireland go about their business seemingly unfazed. The Civil War was a bloody and unfortunate chapter in Ireland’s history – one that pitted fathers against sons, brothers against brothers and friends against friends. These were the same people who fought together in the Irish War of Independence just a few years earlier. However, they ended up on opposite sides of this war because of their disagreement over the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty that was signed at the end of the preceding war. Martin McDonagh, who’s written and directed the film, succeeds in mirroring the ugly divisions between these warring factions – Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Irish Free State – with the abrupt split that happens between the two protagonists who have been longtime drinking buddies.
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Mr. McDonagh sets the tone of the movie right at the beginning with panoramic aerial shots of the island of Inisherin (actual locations split between the real islands of Inishmore and Achill island off Galway). The houses are far apart and nothing of importance seems to be going on in this sleepy village. Pádraic and Colm Doherty, the two local friends, have always gone to the pub together at 2 pm every afternoon. So when Colm decides to just ignore Pádraic and not join him one day, it is no surprise that this seemingly trivial incident becomes the talk of the town. While Pádraic is bothered and utterly confused by this silent treatment, everyone from the bartender and customers of the pub to the mysterious Mrs. McCormick, and from Pádraic’s sister Siobhan to his friend Dominic, seems to have an opinion on this matter.
I found it interesting that just like Pádraic, the audience is also unaware of the reasons behind the abrupt breakdown of his friendship with Colm. Hence, it is but natural to gravitate towards the naïve Pádraic early on. Gradually though as Colm reveals his reasons, we realize that the situation is a bit more nuanced than we initially imagined. Granted, it is not easy to accept Colm’s viewpoint outright. I initially had a hard time myself coming to terms with his extreme reactions, even considering the metaphor. Eventually though, I did warm up to Colm’s insistence on taking the drastic step of breaking their lifelong friendship. This is not to say that any of his actions are justified in the latter half, when the movie takes an unexpected dark turn.
One of the best scenes of the movie is the one where Pádraic confronts Colm when he’s in the pub with Dominic’s abusive father, Inspector Kearney. It speaks volumes about Pádraic’s personality. In this really touching scene, Pádraic comes across as not only naïve and ignorant but the simple, sincere and lovable oaf that he is. Conventional logic says that being talented is more valued than being nice. Rarely has a better argument been made in favor of niceness than the one in this scene.
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By the way, who exactly are the banshees of Inisherin mentioned in the title of the movie? There is no reference alluding to the title other than a fleeting mention by Colm while discussing the song that he is working on throughout the movie. Banshees are found in Irish folklore – they are female spirits who portend death by screaming at the top of their voice. However, Colm states that these days the Banshees are present amongst them, only that they do not scream to portend death anymore. They just sit back, amused, and observe.
Mrs. McCormick, the mysterious old lady, fits this bill. She warns Pádraic of possibly two deaths at the end of the movie. Without going into details, there are several actual and metaphorical deaths which make her predictions come true. As if to make it very obvious, the last scene shows her sitting in a chair and observing the action that unfolds in front of her, making her the titular present-day banshee in the movie.
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Cast and Crew:
The movie features some of the finest acting performances of 2022. It reunites the brilliant trio of Colin Farell, Brendan Gleeson and writer / director Martin McDonagh after ‘In Bruges (2008)‘. Colin Farell is exceptional in his portrayal of Pádraic Súilleabháin. His performance perfectly evokes the pathos that is needed here. His chemistry with all his co-stars and also his pet miniature donkey Jenny is noteworthy. Besides the aforementioned pub scene, there’s another poignant scene with Brendan Gleeson (who plays Colm Doherty), when Colm helps a beaten-up Pádraic to his feet. There are no words spoken as Colm has expressly forbidden Pádraic from speaking with him, but Colin Farell beautifully conveys Pádraic’s feelings of sadness and self-pity through his eyes.
Brendan Gleeson, who may be familiar to readers as Mad Eye Moody from the Harry Potter movies, is equally impressive as Colm Doherty. It’s not an easy character to play as it comes across as very insensitive in the beginning, but we kind of understand the sense of urgency that’s felt by the character. Mr. Gleeson conveys the feeling of despair that must accompany the sense of time slipping away and hence not wanting to waste precious time in small-talk.
Kerry Condon plays Pádraic’s sister Siobhan. She is probably the only smart and educated woman on the island, who’s looking to get out into the world and have a career. In her role as Siobhan, Miss Condon shows amazing range of emotion – she’s a headstrong woman who’s fiercely protective of her brother and at the same time unwilling to compromise her ambitions and ready to make tough decisions.
Barry Keoghan plays Dominic, who’s Pádraic’s slow friend. He is the village simpleton who’s physically abused by his father. In his own way, he is Pádraic’s voice of reason and his conscience. His dynamics with Siobhan are thoroughly convincing, leading to some memorable scenes. Dominic has always been unshackled from regular social etiquettes and his blunt nature usually rubs Siobhan off the wrong way. One example is when he’s over for dinner at the Súilleabháin household after getting kicked out of his own home by his father. This is when both Dominic and Siobhan are in their character. But there’s another memorable lakeside scene when on a rare instance, Dominic is the restrained one and is trying to be articulate while Siobhan, understanding his predicament, shows him much needed compassion and diffuses the awkwardness.
And last but not the least, what a job by Martin McDonagh! In addition to his wonderful direction, he is also responsible for the brilliant screenplay. Through some seemingly silly and naïve dialogues that fit the characters and the setting, Mr. McDonagh manages to convey some profound ideas. The cliffside scenes featuring Pádraic and Dominic’s heart-to-heart chats and the use of dark humor to convey Dominic’s harsh abusive relationship with his father are masterful. I also liked the unusual connection between Colm and Siobhan. Even though Siobhan has always been very self-aware, it is ironically Colm who nudges her to finally take control of her life. As Colm reminds her, they are two people who are entertaining themselves while staving off the inevitable (boredom). Ultimately, they are both trying to escape their fates; however, the paths they choose are vastly different.
All four actors were nominated for acting awards at the 2022 Oscar ceremony. In addition to these, the movie also garnered nods for Best Picture, Best Director, Original Screenplay, Editing and Original Score for a total of 9 nominations.
Final Thoughts:
It’s a shame that this delightful nuanced tragicomedy from one of the genre’s finest director went 0-9 at the 2023 Academy Awards losing out mostly to ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once‘. The Banshees of Inisherin is a must watch movie for its brilliant script and acting performances.
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