User Reviews

I think, perhaps, you have to be in a certain mood to watch and appreciate this film properly. Patient, but alert and attentive to catch the subtleties of the slow-burn plot.

Oh...I should mention it is very Irish. If you don't know what that means, well... watch the film and you'll get a glimmer.

The acting and scenery are marvelous, as others have noted. The plot as a metaphor for the Irish Civil War and so on.

The strange sudden "unfriending" and the bizarre twists and turns it takes as a commentary on human nature and isolation amid a tedious present and an uncertain future.

There's no hand-holding and you have to read between the lines to understand it well. The humor is dry, dark and subtle, sprinkled in by small doses.

I suppose I must have been in the right mood to appreciate it, and largely absent expectations (other than that there would be good acting, which was so).

People expecting more of a comedy will be disappointed, I think, as will those expecting a light-hearted or uplifting conclusion.

Still, I thought it was quite interesting, and certainly different.

"The Banshees of Inisherin" is an idiosyncratic blend of funny, sad, and more than anything lonely, acted by one of the best casts of the year.

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are two friends who have a falling out because one simply doesn't want to be friends with the other anymore. Why? Because he's become aware of how quickly his life is slipping by and he doesn't want to waste it on dull people. The other takes offense, obviously, and starts out trying to win the other back until his friend's obstinance causes his simmering animosity to boil over.

At first I was relating to Gleeson's character because I've felt like him. Life is too short to spend on relationships that don't add value. But as his behavior gets more and more extreme and.....well....let's just say out of hand (wink, wink), we start to realize how unwell he is and sympathies shift to Farrell's character. Until we start to realize how selfish he actually is and how much his own actions are driven more by wanting to be liked than by concern for his friend. And that's one of the things I liked most about the movie. These are characters dealing with the existentialism inherent in being a human being living on the planet, warts and all, and we see ourselves in all of it, both the good and the bad. Though set in the 1920s, this very much felt like a film inspired by the isolation and loneliness brought about by a global pandemic.

The standout of the cast is Kerry Condon as Farrell's sister. She's an antidote to the male angst pervading this little Irish village. While the men are content to stew and whine and complain about dull pointless lives that they don't do anything to change, she gets fed up with how boring they all are and decides to grab her own bit of happiness. Also good is Barry Keoghan as perhaps the film's most heartbreaking character.

And lest everything I've written above makes this film sound dour and depressing, did I also mention that it's very very funny? Funny in a Martin McDonagh way, to be sure, but it'll have you chuckling if you get his particular vibe.

Grade: A.

The Banshees of Inisherin was an unusual movie, featuring gorgeous vistas, on-point acting and haunting music. However, it was ultimately unsatisfying because it never really rose above a persistent, downbeat nihilism.

I took the movie as a kind of allegory on human irrationality and miscommunication, seen vividly on the mainland during the Irish Civil War, and in microcosm in the relationship between Padraic and Colm.

It was also an extended study on the wages of untreated mental illness, as Colm chose to do nothing to treat his "despair" (that is, depression), and instead wreaked havoc upon himself and his erstwhile best mate.

My problem with Banshees is that the great movies that reflect the insanity of the human condition, at the end of the day, still have something redemptive about them. The great anti-war, movies-Bridge on the River Kwai, For Whom the Bell Tolls, MASH, Atonement-all deliver some form of redemption amid the pain. Banshees only leaves one feeling hopeless at the end. The very bleakness of the movie unfortunately drags it down.

If you have seen this movie there is nothing that needs to be said about the acting or the cinematography, they're both near perfect. All four of the main characters shine as much as any of them have in their careers, especially Collin Farrell and Kelly Condon.

Many movies have great acting and cinematography, but what puts this movie over the top is the layers and expiration of each character. Colin Farrells characters journey dives into the feeling of losing a friend unwillingly, which is a horribly sad experience, as expressed by Farrell. Farrells character is left with no concrete answer as to why his friend left and this sends him down a spiral similar to the 7 stages of grief, but with a much more frustrating reality which is his old friend is perfectly fine and just decided to turn his back on him. Farrell perfectly shows us the sadness, confusion, and futile attempts to patch things up.

Gleasons character on the other hand shows the depressing thought of wasting one's life. Gleasons character, who broke his friendship off with Farrell character, initially comes off as an irrational, but as you peel back the layers the full picture starts to come together. Gleason deflects his sadness and anger towards himself to Farrell. This stems from his loneliness, and disappointment in his life to this point. This is clearly shown by Gleasons wonderful performance, who shows us a clearly talented and intelligent man who has likley lived his whole life on this island with no wife, just a dog. Gleasons character doesn't want to be responsible for the life he's made for himself, so he blames Farrell. In reality there was nothing stopping him from drinking with his buddy and writing music, or even saying let's not get drunk 7 days a week so i can make my music. On some level Gleason knows this so he makes up the rule about his fingers so he can have a real reason to blame Farrell. Gleason empathy after accidentally killing the goat shows the lack of hate in his heart, and finally the scene where he's waiting for his house to be on set on fire Gleasons lonely expression projects that he may let the fire take him too.

Keoghans character shows the completely depressing reality of mental health and suicide. His character seems to be Farrells side kick for the whole movie, as his story seems to fall into the peripheral. This is a perfect representation of how he felt. Farrell only hangs out with him because his actual friend left him, and mostly only talks to him about his old friend. Sense Keoghans demeanor was mostly positive, Farrell never gave his mental health a second thought, although many signs were there. Keoghan asking out Condons character was ultimately a last ditch effort to get his life back on track, and watching that scene a second time knowing this is so tragic. This is the best acted scene in the movie.

Condons character is what balances this movie perfectly. She is maybe the only character who isn't completely depressing, as she is always shown to have a level head and logical thinking, hope and kindness. She seems to be the only one to point out how unfair Gleason is being. Ultimately her intelligence gets her off the island as it seems no one else ever can. She is a testament to how sticking through tough times and staying level headed could make your situation better.

There are plenty more layers to this movie which makes it great on a 2nd 3rd and 4th rewatch and endlessly thought provoking. The fact that this is all done with just one relatively simple storyline is an absolute marvel of writing and acting. This movie is not for everyone as many won't be able to relate to a friend leaving you unannounced, a friend committing su*cide, or the feeling of your life passing before your eyes with nothing to show for it. For those who can't relate the movie is still visually stunning with a great story and some very darkly funny moments.

Sorry I called all the characters by their actors names as I haven't watched this movie in about 5 months. No matter how long it's been this always tends to pop in my head as an extremely concise, densely layered, beautiful movie.

It is 1923 and the Irish civil war has not reached the small island of Inisherin. 40-something Padraic lives with his sister, eking out an agricultural living, and spending what appears to be quite a lot of spare time at the pub with his best friend for years, olderman and fiddle player Colm. Then, one day, Colm tells him that he doesn't want to be friends any more, without providing any sort of reason (he does later). Padraic is devastated and confused and persists in bothering Colm for understanding in the face of Colm's blunt statement that we wants Padraic to leave him alone.

I loved Martin McDonough's In Bruges and Three Billboards (Seven Psychopaths had its moments), and Colin Farell and Brendan Gleeson easily find their In Bruges chemistry again. The cinematography, sets and locations, are bleak and beautiful, the acting from all the cast is great, and the script, often funny, thoughtfully ruminates on friendship, loneliness, isolation, mortality, stubbornness, and various other related concepts.

Yes I was disappointed. Why? The synopsis above comes from the trailer, and although the story of these two once-friends does progress further, there are two things it never does.

One, it never explains Colm's decision. Colm gives his reasons but, frankly, they are irrational, as are his subsequent actions. I can understand Padraic'ss frustratiin, because I shared it. None of it made sense unless an external agency was at work - depression, dementia, psychosis, witchcraft...

Two, it never resolves. The two obvious resolutions would have been reconciliation or tragedy, but the film never gets as far as either, which left me dissatisfied.

This film, to me, broke its promises.

At a time when uniquely creative movies are virtually impossible to find, here's one that's so original in concept you'll wonder what sort of mind came up with the idea. To call "The Banshees of Inisherin" a black comedy would be somewhat of an understatement, but if you pay attention and listen very closely, almost every line of dialog is understatedly hilarious, but set within a context so dire that the effect is muted by the desperation and solemnity of the characters. The film almost becomes depressing at times, as Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell) attempts to come to grips with the sudden loss of friendship with drinking buddy Colm Sonny Larry Doherty (Brendan Gleeson). It all boils down to a simple statement by Colm - "I just don't like you anymore" - but as the story progresses, we come to a better understanding of the dynamic at work with the older Colm and his devastated friend Pádraic, who's insistence in trying to understand what's happening eventually leads to a disastrous outcome for both parties. Notable supporting performances by Kerry Condon as Pádraic's sister Siobhán, and Barry Keoghan as a well-meaning but dimwitted friend of all, make this an often sad and frustrating exercise for the viewer, and as the story reaches its stunning climax, one is left with a sense of loss and profound inability to reconcile one's feelings about what was just experienced. And yet personally, I was left in awe by the picture and even more so by the mesmerizing performances of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.