"The Banshees of Inisherin": review

Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell) and Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) in a standoff.

"The Banshees of Inisherin" is a 2022 black comedy set in 1923, at the very end of the Irish Civil War. Almost all the action takes place on the island of Inisherin (invented for this story), not far off the mainland. Inisherin has a small population. There's a town of sorts, but the land is dominated by farms—livestock and crops divided up by those classic low stone walls found all over the British Isles. The people seem to lead fairly dull, simple lives, but they're always craving news (aside from news of the war) as well as passing along rumors. The story centers on two old friends—Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell) and Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson). They've been friends since forever, but one day, Colm decides Pádraic is dull and no longer worth talking to. So Colm stops talking.

That's the basic premise for everything that happens next. Pádraic, who's not exactly a genius, can't believe that Colm has simply dropped him as a friend. At first, Colm tries to explain that he doesn't want to spend his remaining years talking about what Pádraic has found in his donkey's shit (Pádraic angrily corrects Colm: it was his pony's shit)—that Pádraic is a dull man while Colm is aiming for loftier conversation, the peace and quiet that come of being left alone now and again, and the opportunity to compose some music for his fiddle. Pádraic still can't understand what's come over Colm, and things get to the point where Colm threatens to cut off his own fingers if Pádraic keeps bothering him. At first, no one in town knows whether Colm is serious about this threat, but when Pádraic accosts Colm yet again, Colm does indeed get some shears and cuts off an index finger. Everyone is horrified, including Pádraic's sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon), who may be the only person on the island with any common sense.

Also on the island is the local dimwit (the inhabitants use the Irish slang gom to describe fools and idiots), a young man named Dominic (Barry Keoghan), who is regularly beaten by his policeman father (Gary Lydon). Dominic may be dumb, but he sometimes comes up with perceptive insights into the people around him. Other colorful inhabitants include Jonjo the bartender (Pat Shortt), the local priest (David Pearse), and ancient Mrs. McCormick (Sheila Flitton), who is given to predicting people's deaths.

Part of the joy of the story is following where it unpredictably leads. I kept expecting some revelation that Colm was dying or that the two former friends would end up killing each other or that there'd be some sort of tearful reconciliation. Suffice it to say that the movie doesn't insult the viewer's intelligence by going for an easy—and easy-to-figure-out—ending.

The cinematography of the film was gorgeous. Ben Davis shot the island scenes on the real-life islands of Inishmore and Achill. Fictional Inisherin is a character unto itself. Weather and lighting all play important roles in the story, and those gorgeous aerial shots of the terrain, coupled with the 1923-era buildings, made me want to move to Ireland and spend the rest of my days among green pastures, quiet horses, friendly dogs, and curious townspeople.

The movie was written and directed by Martin McDonagh, who also wrote and directed the hilarious "In Bruges," which stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as well. One gets the impression that these three men love working together, and the chemistry shows. Farrell and Gleeson essentially carry the movie: this is a small story about a small conflict, and with the focus being so tight on two men, there's little choice but for the two stars to be absolutely on point. Happily, they are, and so is the supporting cast, especially Kerry Condon as Pádraic's sister Siobhán, who sees things clearly enough to know that the time is coming for her to leave the island madness behind and go to the mainland (you might know Condon from her role as Mike Ehrmantraut's daughter in "Better Call Saul"). Gleeson also has many scenes where he plays the fiddle, and while I'm no musician, I got the impression that that was really him belting out those folksy tunes.

It's very hard to think of anything to complain about in this movie, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Put a gun to my head, and I might complain that Farrell and Gleeson play essentially the same roles as they played in "In Bruges." Farrell is the dumb, impatient one; Gleeson is the thoughtful, meditative one. But that's not much of a complaint, and honestly, if Gleeson, Farrell, and McDonagh got together to make another film in which Farrell and Gleeson played the same sorts of roles, I'd enjoy that film, too. I suppose the smallness of the story might be a liability for impatient people, but I found this to be a sad, funny, and extremely beautiful film that explores a relationship gone sour. I heard there are many Irish critics of the film who see it as portraying a stereotyped caricature of Ireland and the Irish, but as a dumb, know-nothing American, I don't think I caught those problems.

Irish critics and their gripes aside, I think "The Banshees of Inisherin" is one of those rare films that I would unreservedly recommend. The intimacy of the scenario means that parts of the film will feel like a stage play, but a slightly claustrophobic feel is inevitable when your story is about people living on a tiny island. Go watch the film. Feel the joy, feel the sadness, and drink in all that natural beauty.

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A little primer on how to pronounce some of those Irish names:

Pádraic Súilleabháin = porrick "sullivan" (or pretty close to that)

Colm Doherty = kohlm or kollum (mostly the latter); the surname's about what you'd expect

Siobhán = shuh-VAHN