Starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, Martin McDonagh’s latest comedy The Banshees of Inishiren reunites the director with the leading men of his directorial debut In Bruges. Set in 1923, the film focuses on Pádraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson), two best friends who live in the fictional coastal Irish town of Inishiren. One day, Colm abruptly cuts ties with Pádraic, causing the latter to try and come to terms with the loss of his friend with disastrous results.
Put simply, The Banshees of Inishiren is a bromance gone wrong. When we first meet Colm, Pádraic doesn’t understand why they are no longer friends. Understandable, as Colm is stoic in his explanation and his efforts to cut Pádraic are easier said than done, due to the latter’s persistence and the confinement of Inishiren, where gossip spreads like wildfire. Despite his intentions, Pádraic doesn’t understand that his insistence is his undoing – despite the growing gravity of Colm’s warnings.
But the truth is that Pádraic is afraid of being alone, despite being surrounded by lots of eccentric characters. His only sole sane point of contact is sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon), who isn’t afraid to tell him when his persistence and neediness are making him look like an idiot. The same can be said about local ‘fool’ Cameron (Barry Keoghan), who tolerates his abusive father to have someone ‘concrete’ in his life.
Meanwhile, Colm wants to leave a legacy through music but feels his friendship with Pádraic gets in the way, choosing to spend time with other musicians. However, his stubbornness takes the tension between him and Pádraic to the extreme but unlike Mildred’s vendetta for justice in McDonagh’s previous film Three Billboards of Ebbing, Missouri, their respective endeavours come across as selfish and immature. Their playground feud also dominates the narrative, leaving promising and complex characters such as Cameron and Siobhan with restricted plot lines and screentime.
But the film is stunning, as Ben Davis’ beautiful cinematography highlights the simplicity and tranquillity of the surroundings – a visual contrast to be shattered by Pádraic and Colm’s growing feud. Highlighting their fractured friendship is the comical screenplay, with its witty banter raising the performances of its leading men. The familiarity and chemistry between Farrell and Gleeson see them in their element and combined with McDonagh’s understated direction, allows the screenplay to win audiences over.
Overall, McDonagh’s chaotic charm reinforces the dark hilarity amid The Banshees of Inisherin, with Farrell and Gleeson delivering a constant stream of laughs.
The Banshees of Inishrein is part of the BFI London Film Festival. It will be out on general release on 21 October.
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Director: Martin McDonagh
Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan, Kerry Condon
Runtime: 109 minutes
Country: Ireland, UK, USA
