One Afternoon, Friends No More

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in 
"The Banshees of Inisherin"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

When you walk into a movie from writer-director Martin McDonagh, you know to expect a film that’ll mix humor, shades of darkness, bits of startling violence.  It’s a confidence in these accomplished tonal shifts that have resulted in his terrific films like 2008’s “In Bruges,” 2012’s “Seven Psychopaths,” and 2017’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”  You have wit and bleakness bouncing off each other at a stable rate, and it’s the presence of such shifts that add to the unpredictability of his films.

McDonagh takes us to Ireland for his latest comedy-drama, “The Banshees of Inisherin,” a film that brings you into the lives of it’s two complicated characters and slowly introduces you to the world around them.

Set in 1923 during the Irish Civil War on the fictional island of Inisherin, the story follows Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell) who’s told by his friend, Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson), that he doesn’t want to be friends anymore.  Not knowing what he did wrong, Pádraic tries to find out the reason behind their broken friendship and try to mend it.

Farrell, who starred in “In Bruges” and “Seven Psychopaths,” does an endearing portrayal of someone with whom you could just sit down and have a friendly chat.  Even from his opening scene, with him smiling and enjoying his walk to invite Colm to the pub, it’s difficult to imagine why Colm will end up breaking their bond just seconds later.  The way in which Farrell shows his character to be confused and saddened by this unexpected turn of events gives you a pang of heartbreak as you see a pleasant, everyday man feel at a loss for what’s going on.  However, through the affable personality that Farrell brings forth in his character, he helps us feel some optimism that he might be able to fix this relationship.  

Gleeson, who started in “In Bruges” and McDonagh’s 2004 short film, “Six Shooter,” exhibits someone who has a rather somber personality and is difficult to read.  He shows Colm as a person who seems to be immovable from their decision to cut some ties and move on with his life.  He’s not one to raise his voice, but adamant in the route he intends to take.  The mixture of calmness and sternness that Gleeson brings to his character has you wonder about the sincerity behind some of the more threatening things that he says, leaving you to wonder where his character’s going to end up as the movie goes on.

Although all of the characters get their moments of humor, Barry Keoghan offers the film’s funniest performance as Dominic Kearney, a dim-witted yet kindhearted Inisherin resident who hangs around with Pádraic.  Whenever Keoghan’s on screen, he never fails to make you laugh and fall in love with his character.  There’s a roll-with-the-punches attitude to him (figuratively and, sadly, sometimes literally) that makes him someone for whom you feel sympathy and who, just like Farrell, only wants to have someone with whom he can talk and share some free time.

Kerry Condon, who plays Pádraic’s sister, Siobhán, displays a steadfastness in watching out for her brother to make sure he stays out of trouble and provides him with some sense.  Condon gives her character an attitude of someone who’s built her life and home on hard work, making sure to provide warmth for those who need it.  She’s there to help you through a tough time, but has the tell-it-like-it-is energy of an individual who’ll let know you when you’re being thickheaded.

The screenplay by McDonagh is richly detailed in how it presents its characters.  Not only do we get the intimate and powerful interactions between Pádraic, Colm, Dominic, and Siobhán, but we also see them talk very often with the other citizens of the region.  This provides us with a wonderful look at how the people of this village talk, think, and feel, making you come away with a sense of knowing the smaller characters every bit as much as the bigger ones.  Along with the rift between Pádraic and Colm, there’s stress between other pairs of characters as well, whether it’s seen in detail or briefly, it adds up to a poignant theme of the difficulties of moving on when a relationship is broken.  This theme is layered with an emotional parallel with the Irish Civil War that happens in the background (we sometimes hear explosions in the distance on Ireland’s mainland).  This parallel never becomes ham-fisted, but is rather an effective symbol for what’s going on in the foreground, with people who thought themselves to be friends now being at odds with each other.

Other than the work that McDonagh gives to his characters, he allows his story to bring us around the village and absorb the setting.  He constructs a familiarity with the community to let us see how it plays into the lives of the characters, be it a church, a bar, a village shop, a lake, or docks on the oceanic shore.  With the help of cinematographer Ben Davis, who provided the camerawork for “Seven Psychopaths” and “Three Billboards,” offers gorgeous shots of Inisherin.  Whether it be cozy, candlelit homes, the church as it’s backlit by the sun, a peaceful lake amongst the hills, aerial views of the lushly green fields, or the sandy shores near the cliffs, we experience every ounce of beauty that Inisherin possesses.

As a director, McDonagh’s ability to mix lightheartedness with darker aspects is as strong as ever.  It isn’t any surprise when his movie gets into some gloomy territory, but there’s an effectiveness to be felt when you’re laughing for a sizable portion of the movie, only to be feeling something very different later on.  The expert blend of dread and hopefulness keeps you on your toes as you wait to see if or how Pádraic and Colm will resolve their differences.

There’s a moment in the film where a character (I’m ashamed to say that I forget which one) mentions how maybe banshees aren’t the spirits that the people think they are, specters that scream and portend death.  Perhaps, those spirits just stay in the background and observe what happens to the characters.  That’s what “The Banshees of Inisherin” asks of us, and you’ll be moved by what you witness.

Grade: A