You may have seen the trailer for The Banshees of Inisherin, and it’s one of those good trailers that doesn’t spoil anything but does give you the story:
“Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.”
It’s simple and to the point, which is great. The movie sees Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Martin McDonagh working together again for the first time since In Bruges.
In Bruges is a dark comedy, but brilliantly scripted and the on-screen duo of Farrell and Gleeson work perfectly. Having more of them in The Banshees of Inisherin was fine with me.
This movie is once again a very dark comedy. There were moments I laughed out loud at the wonderful one-liners, but there are also moments I had my hand over my mouth at the event unfolding.
The story itself isn’t really deep. It’s about two friends who fall out of a friendship. We have all had it, people that we were friends with but now never see them anymore. There are many reasons why this happens, but in The Banshees of Inisherin it really gets into the roots of why.
I say the story isn’t deep, but it does have several layers in it. It’s one of those movies that keeps you thinking about it long after you finished watching it. It got me thinking about old friends I haven’t seen in years and what happened to them, and our friendships.
On top of that, the story is also about living on a small island where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Some people want to try to help, while others are happy just to sit and watch. However, everyone is concerned about each other for better or for worse.
Farrell and Gleeson are amazing in this. You believe every word that comes from them and you see the struggle on both sides. I could watch these two just sit in a pub and chat for hours on end. The fact they are both very Irish in this was even better, with the occasional line even I couldn’t pick up.
If you like In Bruges, you will like The Banshees of Inisherin. It’s set in the bleak landscape of an island off the coast of Ireland, but the main focus is the two main characters, one of whom doesn’t want to be friends with the other anymore.
You know that Shawn and I are into extreme cinema, and something like a black comedy is my cup of tea. Yet even I found this a little too bleak at times and found the story going to mildly shocking places. So be warned, it is funny, but it is bleak at the same time.
In this day and age of CGI movies with weak ass stories, this was a breath of fresh air. There are special effects in the movie, but they are subtle and so good you don’t really notice them. I won’t spoil how or why.
I really enjoyed The Banshees of Inisherin and I will need to see it again, to fully appreciate it. A genuinely brilliant movie. It’s now streaming on HBO Max.
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