The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)- BFI London Film Festival 2022

Review

109min

Genre:       Comedy, Drama

Director:     Martin McDonagh

Cast:         Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon…and more

Writers:     Martin McDonagh

-Synopsis-

A lifelong friendship on an isolated island off the Irish coast is unexpectedly ended when one shuns the other for an incomprehensible reason, and the other refuses to accept it, leading to a feud which takes a dark turn and pulls in the eccentric locals in this black comedy/drama meditation the difficult 20^th century history of Ireland, from the writer/director of ‘In Bruges’ and ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’.

Peculiar people living in islands off the British and Irish coasts have provided plenty of quirky and unsettling fodder for filmmakers over the years, giving us films like 1966’s ‘Cul-de-sac’ and 1973’s ‘The Wicker Man’ among others. Now British writer/director Martin McDonagh digs into his Irish roots and takes a cue from his brother John Michael McDonagh and his excellent 2011 black comedy ‘The Guard’, taking a journey to early 20^th century coastal West Ireland for a Samuel Beckett-inspired, lyrical dark comedy rumination on conflict and resentment . . . and friendships gone oh-so sour.

Colin Farrell stars as dim but decent 1920s Irish islander ‘Pádraic Súilleabháin’, spending his time drinking in the town pub and tending to his animals, living a quiet rural life with his sharp and spirited sister ‘Siobhan’ (Kerry Condon) in an isolated simple Catholic existence, fairly oblivious to the civil war exploding a stone’s throw away in the mainland. But when his fiddle-playing, deeper-thinking best friend ‘Colm Doherty’s’ (Brendan Gleeson) affections for him inexplicably end and he is shunned completely, his inability to stay away triggers a spiral of absurd events which turn dark and pull in the whole town—including self-unaware but harmless town scamp ‘Dominic’ (Barry Keoghan)—as once great friends head towards the inescapable highway to nemeses.

If you’re a fan of a charming Irish lilt and the brogueish frankness to match then you’ve really come to the right place, as Martin McDonagh cements his reputation as a singular stage and screen writer by hilariously weaving together wonderfully whimsical and colourful dialogue, bringing together a collection of unforgettably quirky and earthy characters in a black comedy to remember.

Meanwhile his talent for dragging up the darkness of the human psyche is equally evident in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, as he seamlessly combines plenty of genuine belly laughs—which unlike many a formulaic modern comedy feel completely natural and unforced—with a tone which steadily darkens and a measure of some brutality too. Essentially this is what a Martin McDonagh—who is originally a playwright—version of ‘Waiting for Godot’ might look like; a philosophical friendship-gone-sour story but darker and more centred on conflict, set in Ireland and spoken in a coarse lyrical style rooted in his sense of humour.

By setting the story in 1923 and on the Aran Islands—which have often featured in his stage work—and in earshot of the escalating civil war on the west coast of the Irish mainland, McDonagh is making a statement about Irish conflict in the last century, with neighbouring Britain and Northern Ireland but also amongst themselves, and indeed its psychologically scarring impact. But by crafting a quirky yet confronting and brooding human drama centred on petty grievances and resentments which escalate to tragedy and hardened attitudes, not to mention a meditation on depression and mental health in the context of a culture of supressing meaningful emotions while drowning them in booze, the writer/director is drawing a parallel between the two and expressing the futility of it all in ludicrous and uproarious style. Whilst sounding a warning horn and reminding us of how easily the past can be repeated.

Not to be outdone by its substance, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ boasts more than enough style and charm to beguile the eyes and ears, featuring splendid designs to re-create rural Ireland of the 20s and painting a way of life so bucolic and simple that it might as well have been set a century earlier. But the visual star of the show is the island itself, with British cinematographer Ben Davis (Doctor Strange, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) vividly capturing the mesmerising rolling hills and breaking waves of Inishmore where it was primarily shot. And just as the language adds so much to the film, so does the music, not only setting the tone and feeding the mood but playing a part in the narrative too, as American composer and both regular McDonagh and Coen collaborator Carter Burwell (No Country for Old Men, In Bruges) blends traditional compositions with jaunty Irish folk tunes.

Yet despite McDonagh’s exquisite writing and assured direction, as a character study and human drama ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ leans heavily on its cast, and thankfully for us all they deliver a true ensemble masterclass of deadpan delivery and irresistible Irish frankness, with the linguistic rhythm to match.

Colin Farrell delivers arguably a career high lead performance as a dull and unremarkable but decent fella unexpectedly thrown into an existential crisis he’s not equipped to handle, as the Irish superstar sails over McDonagh’s whip-smart and flowing dialogue with the kind of deadpan flair he honed while working previously with the writer/director and the likes of Yorgos Lanthimos, while injecting the character with plenty of soul and sympathy. His scene sparring partner Brendan Gleeson meanwhile is once again a spark for the McDonagh family filmmaking magic, superb as the bizarrely stoic and stubborn islander who takes his intractability to extremes—no doubt a reference to one of the many faces and character defects of the Irish troubles.

The two stars breathing charming life into quirky numpties unable to truly talk to each other and move on are wonderfully backed by an eclectic supporting cast, led by Kerry Condon as Farrell’s lucid sister and both the moral and reasoned heart of the piece, representing the part of the audience’s conscience which wants to slap both men and tell them to grow up before it’s too late. Barry Keoghan meanwhile steals many a scene as the hilariously oblivious young town rascal with raging hormones but a decent soul, who’s also a rather tragic figure and the film’s commentary on isolated youth with little hope.

But they’re all nearly upstaged by the four-legged members of the cast who adorably make a well-choreographed impression on the many scenes in which they feature, whilst also unexpectedly contributing to the more poignant elements of the narrative—with an uber-cute miniature donkey serving as the heart-warming mascot of the film, perhaps inspiring a must-have pet frenzy this season.

The Bottom Line…

A hilariously broguetastic but dark Beckett-inspired tale of friendship gone sour and conflict, and a striking meditation on a troubled Irish 20th century history, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ is peak Martin McDonagh; a sumptuously written and masterfully executed quirky absurdist tragedy with the performances to match, and a platonic male relationship and bosom buddy break-up odyssey for the ages.

‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ is out in UK and US cinemas on the 21st of October.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Calvary (2014)

The life of a good small-town Catholic priest on the rural coast of Ireland is thrown into turmoil when his life is threatened anonymously during confession, as the day of his impending doom approaches he is confronted by the dark nature of those around him and the sins of his own religion while trying to retain his faith and dignity in a darkly comic drama from the maker of ‘The Guard’.

Directed by John Michael McDonagh and starring Brendan Gleeson, Kelly Reilly and Chris O’Dowd among others.

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