The Banshees of Inisherin is streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar.
Listen to this article
The Banshees of Inisherin: The film about boundaries in friendship (and life), which deserves the Oscar buzz it’s getting
x
The very first scene of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson’s film, The Banshees of Inisherin, opens with a scenic view of the remote island in Ireland. Inisherin looks uninviting and hauntingly lovely, features it shares with some of the movie’s main characters. And very soon director Martin McDonagh takes a stab at what is the crux of the film — the friendship of its two leads, Padraic and Colm (played by Farrell and Gleeson, respectively).
When I had watched its trailer months ago, I surmised that the film would be based on a seemingly silly issue with undercurrents of vital commentary/questions about relationships and the effect they have on us as we go about our lives. Let’s just say, that was just the tip of the iceberg. Writer and director McDonagh manages to do a lot with a simple tiff between friends. This is not a spoiler, as this was already revealed in the promo — Colm doesn’t want anything to do with Padraic anymore because he feels his former best friend just wastes his time, which he should be dedicating to more artistic pursuits. Poor Padraic is left hurt and confused; after all, everyone wants closure. Now Padraic happens to be hell-bent on knowing what ‘actually’ happened instead of being content with Colm’s cruel but straight response — “I just like you no more.”
Brendan Gleeson in a still from the film.
As the film progresses, you realise how drastically different Padraic and Colm are from each other, and it makes you wonder what made them click in the first place. But isn’t that what some of our own friendships are like too — someone you share a drink with and unburden a bit of your life’s load. It’s another matter that Padraic’s life’s load primarily consists of spending time at the local pub and discussing his animals’ ‘sh*te.’ Colm is done with his friend, and has threatened to self-mutilate if Padraic ever attempted to converse with him again. As a viewer, you cannot help but feel for both the friends. Colm wanted space to evolve, to be ‘more’, while Padraic simply needed to know what went wrong.
Advertisem*nt
McDonagh cleverly manipulates us into rooting for both these guys with such differing take on life — one wants to make music, another, to simply be idle and have a beer with his friend of many years. How can either of them be wrong? Both seem like worthwhile ways to live your life. The filmmaker writes with absolute empathy for Colm and Padraic, thereby emphasizing the significance of boundaries, purpose and beauty in life. And there is the island of Inisherin itself — all quiet like the film, and then growing bigger and more terrible with its revelations.
Barry Keoghan, who plays a youth possibly on the autism spectrum, is terrific as Dominic. It is he who is sharper (and kinder) about life’s fallacies, accepting the bad hand he has been dealt by gods of fate. The longish sequence which he shares with Kerry Condon’s Siobhan will break your heart, and so will his rejection of Padraic at one point. Among all the men and their mayhem, there is Padraic’s sister Siobhan, more intelligent and discerning than most men of the island, who wants to move out of Inisherin and grow in a different direction, but it is her filial love for Farrell’s character that holds her down. There is also Sheila Flitton’s Mrs McCormick, the local ‘banshee’ if you will, who makes sure to be present for all the town’s pivotal happenings. The two females and one so-called ‘slow’ Dominic together manage to shed light on the Inisherin way of life, but our two main men, Colm and Padraic, don’t put the pieces together until it’s too late.
Related Read | 2023 Golden Globe nominations led by The Banshees of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere all at Once
Apparently, lead star Colin Farrell had read a very different script seven years ago, which had a lot of action and was decidedly plot-driven unlike its final outcome. But one can only be thankful to Martin McDonagh for revising the screenplay, which offers many ‘under-the-sun’ moments to all its main cast. The veteran Gleeson is a treat to behold — he is stoic, often menacing, but ultimately of a generous disposition who both hates and attracts fools. To watch Colin Farrell and Gleeson create magic once again with director McDonagh after In Bruges was sheer delight. Unpopular opinion forthcoming, this is a much more evolved — although no less funny for it — film than In Bruges. Before you walk away with multiple Oscar nominations, Martin McDonagh, take a deep bow.
The Banshees of Inisherin is available to stream on Disney Plus Hotstar.
Click for more updates and latest Hollywood News along with Bollywood and Entertainment updates. Also get latest news and top headlines from India and around the World at The Indian Express.
