Movie Review: The Banshees of Inisherin
SPOILER ALERT: This one is currently in theaters, so I’m going to stay away from overt spoilers. While I will be describing the plot in loose detail, nothing in this review should negatively impact your ability to enjoy the film fresh. However, I always recommend seeing the film for yourself before reading reviews. Once you’ve seen it, feel free to come back here and join in the discussion!
I have a hard time explaining my relationship to writing. I simultaneously feel it is something I am good at and enjoy but also it feels like a burden. I have been working on a novel for some time, and it just eeks out of me. I cannot seem to make the story I have in my head spill onto the paper at the rate I would like to. It is painful and yet it’s what I have. There are times - times when I focus on the darkness of the world around me more than the light that is there for those who have eyes to see - when the choice to self-immolate seems better than to continually miss the mark in the one area where I feel like it is for me to leave my mark.
I say that because it makes me feel for the immense frustration of Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) that his life is filled with lesser interactions that keep his time from being focused on writing an important piece of music. It seems that one’s willingness to go with the darkly humorous plot that writer/director Martin McDonagh weaves in The Banshees of Inisherin largely depends on how you accept (or don’t accept) the inciting action that spills out of Colm’s existential angst.
We begin the film by meeting our main character - Padraic Suilleabhain (Colin Farrell) - as he is walking up to Colm’s house. He knocks on the door. No answer. He calls out for his friend. He then goes to the window where he can see Colm through the glass. He calls for him again. No answer. His friend is just sitting there smoking.
Padraic then makes his way to the town watering hole where he and Colm meet daily for a drink at 2:00. He waits. Colm is not there. This is not a big town, mind you. This is the Irish isle of Inisherin. There isn’t much to do except drink.
So he goes back to find Colm. Surely there must be something out of the ordinary going on. But Colm is not there when Padraic arrives. As Padraic turns around, he sees Colm walking along the trail…on his way to the pub. As you might imagine, this is a confusing turn of events for Padraic. When he makes his way back to the pub, things get even more confusing.
This movie is driven by its performances, which are stellar across the board. Farrell leads the film with his turn as Padraic, but each key performer has moments where they take center stage. None of them squander the opportunity. Gleeson is the perfect choice for Colm. Kerry Condon is incredible as Padraic’s sister, Siobhan. And Barry Keoghan should win all the awards for his supporting turn as the town dunce, Dominic, who is brutally abused by his police officer father, Peadar (Gary Lydon).
While the film may be driven by the incredible performances that populate it, the film is a truly great one because of the vision and writing of its creator, McDonagh. This movie is so imbued with his unique voice that it seems that no other human being could have possibly made it. Probably because no other human being truly could have.
Colm tells Padraic that he no longer wants anything to do with him. Padraic is stunned. So much so, that he tries to talk to Colm again the next day. This is when Colm tells Padraic that he will cut his own fingers off if Padraic talks to him any more. Why would someone do such a thing? Because Colm feels that Padraic’s dull conversation is keeping Colm from writing the piece of music that will make people remember him. Nice people are not remembered, only those who do something worth remembering.
It should be noted that, while all this is going on, McDonagh repeatedly shows us the incredible scenery that surrounds this island village. Yes, it is isolated from the rest of the world. Yes, there is very little happening here. But change your perspective and you see that it would have to be on the short list for most beautiful places on the planet. People live there who nod when you pass them on the way to the pub. Animals dutifully work in the fields for their owners and treat them as friends. It is easy to see why someone might be driven to an existential crisis in a place like this. Simultaneously, it is also easy to see why someone might be purely content to live there.
As I walked out after the film was over, I exited the theater onto the city streets of Chicago. I was in one of the most populated cities in America, yet that same loneliness and existential angst is just as prevalent - I would surmise. I was not on some far off island removed from the world. Throngs of people were walking past me on the street. But darkness can be found everywhere. As Padraic quickly learns, it can even be found among those you thought were friends.
Hollywood routinely tells the story of a nice man gone bad. But usually, these stories are driven by ludicrous plots that hinge on the nice person being placed in the midst of an otherworldly dilemma. Here, Padraic is the man that everyone knows as being plain and nice. While the plot does go to some unnerving places that are out of the ordinary, they all take place within the confines of ordinary life. We’re dealing with the daily struggles of people who seem as if they are just going about their day. But darkness can dwell here too. Unchecked it will drive even the nicest man to do things that are not very nice.
I will not divulge the secrets the film has from this point on. I laughed many times despite the darkness that populates this story. Then, there was a point where the film gripped me and made me sit up and stare right into that very darkness. One moment made me cover my mouth with my hand in horror. Maybe the movie can best be summed up by a question that the town’s priest poses to Colm in confession.
“How’s the despair?”
NOTE ON CONTENT: This film is rated R for language throughout, some violent content and brief graphic nudity. The nudity is non-sexual and there are no sex scenes in the film, though there are some sexual references. The language is pervasive. More than anything, the film’s themes are dark to the point that it would not be appropriate for most younger viewers. For mature viewers, however, this film is worth considering and discussing. It is a fine work of art.