A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022).
Do you have some embarrassing gaps in your film watching history? Movies that you really think you should have watched but never got around to? One of those on my personal list is “In Bruges” (2008) – the directorial feature debut of director Martin McDonagh and starring Colin Farrell and Brendon Gleeson. It’s even sat here in my DVD bookshelf, looking at me! Shameful! McDonagh, whose writer/director efforts are few and far between, has directed just two fabulous films since then, They were “Seven Psychopaths” (which I loved) and the Oscar-garlanded “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri” (which I adored, and was my No 2 film from 2018). Now he adds “The Banshees of Inisherin” to that list. And it’s an absolute corker. So, for the second time in three films (the other being “Emily“), I reach for my rarely used 5 star rating.
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
It’s March 1923 (by coincidence, the month my mum was born!) and the Irish Civil War is in its final stages. But all of the kerfuffle is happening on the “mainland” and the island of Inisherin is left in relative calm. With this as context, Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson) have been the best of friends for years. Like clockwork, Pádraic picks up Colm from his house every day at 2pm to go to the pub. Except, one day, Colm turns his back on his friend. When a hurt and confused Pádraic, not unreasonably, tries to reason with the man, things start to get – literally – out of hand.
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan.
Directed by: Martin McDonagh.
Written by: Martin McDonagh.
Twitter Handles: #Banshees_Movie.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” Review:
Positives:
- It’s difficult to know where to start and it’s difficult not to gush. This is a film that delights on just so many different levels. The characters are all so vivid and just so well portrayed by the ensemble cast that you are helplessly drawn into the movie. If you need two hours of forgetting about UK politics (and frankly, at the moment, doesn’t everyone!) this should do it. Pádraic and Colm are such deep and complex characters: Colm seems both sane and completely irrational at the same time; and Pádraic’s journey in the movie is little short of Shakesperean. It obviously helps that both roles are played TO PERFECTION by Farrell and Gleeson. BOTH should get Oscar nominations for this, and we will no doubt get into the normal ludicrous wrangling, when you have ‘co-leads’ in a movie, about who should be nominated for Best Actor and who should be nominated for Best Supporting Actor. I’d cut through the crap of all that and nominate BOTH of them for Best Actor…. because….
- …I’d also nominate Barry Keoghan for Best Supporting Actor. Keoghan – a former BAFTA Rising Star nominee (he lost out to Letitia Wright) has been a memorable supporting act in a wide range of films: “Dunkirk“, “The Green Knight“, “Eternals” and (quietly, in the shadows) the Joker in “The Batman“. But here he creates a truly memorable tragi-comic character in the form of the lovelorn dimwit Dominic Kearney, son of the overbearing and lawless police chief Peadar (Gary Lydon). His delivery of his (very funny) lines is exquisite. When he finds a boathook he muses “Why would anyone want to put a hook on a pole? “Perhaps…” (he answers himself) “…they needed to hook something a pole’s length away”! It’s a quirky, hilarious and heartbreaking performance.
- Once you get started on the acting, its difficult to stop. Kerry Condon is also wonderful as Pádraic’s sister Siobhan. And I reckon this could also be another great contender for the SAG “Ensemble Cast” award this year since even the smaller parts delight: Jon Kenny and Pat Shortt as the comedic barman and his repetitive pal; Brid ni Neachtain as the nosy postmistress Mrs Reardon; and Sheila Flitton (with an extraordinary look) as the witch-like Mrs McCormick. Overall, I’ll cut off a finger if this doesn’t get a bunch of BAFTA, Oscar and SAG nominations for the acting.
- McDonagh’s script is just to die for. It fully surpasses the “six laughs” test for a comedy. I saw it in the afternoon, with only about a dozen people present, and there was laughter even during our showing. I imagine this is a blast to see on a Saturday night in a packed cinema. The script is the epitomy of “show don’t tell”. It slips the audience various visual clues, without explanation, that generate “OH!!” moments later in the film. And there’s a wonder that exists in the detail: the postmistress painting the red (UK) postbox green; the shadowy second figure on the cliffs; what happened to the boathook! Just superb. Another finger will have to go if this doesn’t get nominations for Original Script.
- The cinematography by McDonagh regular Ben Davis is extraordinary. I read somewhere that Davis was looking to create the feel of a John Ford western, and that’s exactly what he’s done. With the wide open Irish vistas; the clever angle of certain shots (e.g. from behind the statue of the Virgin Mary); the gorgeous filler shots of local wildlife; and the amazing lighting for all of the internal shots, the movie has a truly epic feel. That’ll be another finger, so.
- The editing, by Mikkel E.G. Nielsen and the music by Carter Burwell: both excellent. How many fingers is that now?
Negatives
- Nope – I have nothing. I said (just last week) that “Emily” was “close to movie perfection”. This. This IS movie perfection.
Summary Thoughts on “The Banshees of Inisherin”:
What a marvellous film “The Banshees of Inisherin” is. Funny, poignant, intelligent, beautiful, Shakespearean and at times gut-wrenching. This is a film made by a true master of his craft.
It comes with more than a normal “Recommend” from me. This is an absolute “MUST SEE“.
Now, it’s dangerous to state this before I go through the challenging task of ranking my films watched during 2022 (which of course includes many of last year’s “Oscar films”). But I think this *might* just end up being my Film of the Year for 2022.
Trailer for “The Banshees of Inisherin”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRu3zLOJN2c . (A wonderfully edited trailer, but with perhaps a bit too much spoilery stuff in it).
Gah – I have to strongly disagree on this movie. What a downer! You said “Colm seems both sane and completely irrational at the same time; and Pádraic’s journey in the movie is little short of Shakesperean.” Colm seems to me completely irrational and I was hoping he would just jump off one of the high cliffs and stop tormenting his friend and himself. Then Padraic (sorry can’t find the accented “a” on this keyboard) with Colm decently dead, could go to the mainland with his sister. How about emigrating to Canada-Nova Scotia (then later California), as my husband’s g’grandparents… Read more »
Haha – thanks for commenting. I love how we can all have such diverse views about a film! I agree that Colm’s approach was highly irrational (in a way I can’t quite put my finger(s) on!) but his motive (to get peace to compose) was the sane part. My great great grandparents were Irish (McGuire) and emigrated after the potato famine, but only got as far as Yorkshire!