“The Banshees of Inisherin” was released on October 21, 2022 to the United States market and was directed, written and co-produced by Martin McDonagh. The film is set on the fictional island Inisherin off the coast of Ireland. Pádraic Súilleabháin (Paw-rick Soo-lee-bahn), played by Colin Farrell and Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) have been life long friends. Until, one day, Doherty tells Súilleabháin he no longer wants to be friends. When pressed for a reason, Doherty offers no response, leaving Súilleabháin reeling. Súilleabháin, with the help of his sister, Siobhán (Sheh-vahn) Súilleabháin, played by Kerry Condon, and his young friend, Dominic Kearney (Barry Keoghan), attempt to discover the reason for the friendship failing and repair it. What follows is a black tragicomedy that will leave the audience in deep thought about death, depression and the futility of civil war. Be aware there are SPOILERS in the following review.
The good:
I genuinely enjoyed this film far more than I expected to. At first glance, it seems like a simple, if even slightly boring story. However, I personally find the best stories are told in the simplest of concepts. In “The Banshees of Inisherin,” it all is related to the simplicity of the story, yet the story communicates much deeper, thought provoking questions. What is the point of life? How does depression look in different people? Do your actions really affect others? What is the point of civil war? I personally love movies that make me think, movies full of symbolism that I have to look deeper about. If I walk away from a movie, and have to sit down and think about what I watched to understand the ulterior motives, then I feel the movie has succeeded with me. That is where I draw the line from just an enjoyable film to a piece of art. However, let me break it down piece by piece.
First, as always, I love to talk about the design of a film. This film is focused on simplicity and the common nature of life. The costumes are beautifully designed in simple 1920s style clothing. Each of the main characters' sweaters were hand knitted by a single elderly woman who had never even met the cast of the film, showing how much the crew of the film truly cared about the realism of the movie. The acting by Farrell and Keoghan is more than phenomenal. Farrell, himself, is already known for his incredible acting, but watching his descent from “the nicest of them” to “just the same as them” is where the movie truly takes flight.
While the basis of the story is simple (one day, Doherty decides he no longer wants to be friends with Súilleabháin) it runs much deeper than that. First, is the comment on depression. Súilleabháin begins the movie as, Kearney says, “the nicest of them,” saying that, compared to everyone else on the island, Súilleabháin is the nicest guy. Yet, as he loses his friend and life begins to tear him down, Súilleabháin descends into loneliness and sadness, a stark contrast to his chipper personality at the beginning of the movie. This is most easily observed by the presence of Mrs. McCormick (Sheila Flitton), the banshee of the movie. In Irish folklore, a banshee is a herald of death. While McCormick fulfills this role, I also think she is a visual representation of depression. Her presence throughout the film becomes more and more prominent. Characters attempt to avoid her in any way possible. Siobhán, the character who is most depressed throughout the film spends the most amount of time with McCormick and, at one point, McCormick can be seen beckoning Siobhán to walk into the lake, which the movie clarifies is a sure fire way to end your life. Súilleabháin avoids McCormick like the plague but, by the end of the movie it's impossible for him too, leading to my conclusion that she is a representation of depression.
The other thing the movie comments on is how one's actions affect others, as well as the futility of civil war. During the film, Doherty makes a drastic claim, saying that every time Súilleabháin speaks to him, he will cut off his finger. This is a surprising statement because, at that point, the understood reason for Doherty abandoning the pair's friendship was to focus on music, which he plays on a fiddle. Súilleabháin does not take this seriously and tries to speak to Doherty, only to find a finger thrown at his front door. Here, we see some form of sick punishment from Doherty, where he can hold Súilleabháin accountable for something that is in no way Súilleabháin's fault. He can begin to resent Súilleabháin and frighten him. However, Súilleabháin doesn't truly understand the warning and continues to speak to Doherty. Eventually, Doherty removes all of his fingers from one hand and throws them at Súilleabháin's house while he is at the pub. When Súilleabháin gets home, he finds the fingers and his favorite pet donkey has died after choking on one of the fingers. This, coupled with Súilleabháin's sister leaving for the mainland, is his breaking point. He gives Doherty a warning and eventually burns down his house, making sure to save Doherty's dog. This is what I point out as cause and effect. Either could have ended the fight long before it came to this point. Súilleabháin could have accepted that Doherty no longer wanted to be friends and moved along; Doherty could have apologized and continued their friendship, albeit maybe with less time with each other. However, out of stubbornness, both chose to continue their actions, affecting each other until Doherty can no longer play the music he adores and Súilleabháin is but a shadow of the man he once was.
This also adds to the third point of the film: the futility of civil war. Throughout the movie, there is a civil war taking place on the mainland, seen only through cannon fire sounds from a distance. However, this not so subtle clue shows us the final comment on the film. Doherty and Súilleabháin are from the same island and they have known each other for a very long time. Fighting between them is simply irresponsible and, as pointed out earlier of how actions affect others, it only leads to disaster for both sides. Both are ready to spite each other to win a battle that already has no winner. Doherty may achieve his dream of becoming a famous musician, but the person who loved his music the most and cared for him the most wouldn't be there to see it, because Doherty thought of him as dull and a distraction. Súilleabháin may get his best friend back, but it has already been made clear that Doherty isn't necessarily a fan of Súilleabháin anymore. So, instead, the pair descend into fighting, escalating in danger as time goes on. As the film ends and Doherty asks if they are even now that Súilleabháin has burned his house down, to which Súilleabháin states they would only be even if Doherty had stayed in the house, stating: “Some things there's no moving on from, and I think that's a good thing.” This means, while the pair are at a ceasefire, the fighting will resume again, because when two people on the same side are stubborn and engage in a civil war, there is no winner and the fighting never ends.
This is but the surface of the symbolism and the deeper meanings of the movie, but it truly makes it better to be able to look deeply into so many abstract concepts through such a simple story. It is refreshing to not watch the 800th Batman film but, instead, watch something of actual substance. That is where the real “good” of this movie makes its appearance.
The bad:
I genuinely loved this movie and would happily watch it again. As with everything else though, perfection is unattainable and, as with most art, it is subjective to the viewer. The main issues I had with the film were simple; it was hard to understand the characters at points because of their heavy Irish accents. While trying to enjoy the film, I sometimes felt like I missed something here or there, and it took me a little while to find my footing and understand what was being said. That being said, there is a lot to enjoy about the way the actors sound and the lingo they use from Ireland. The second “bad” I can point out from this movie just depends on the viewer. The simple story of the film is more than easy to follow, albeit a bit boring to watch, I'm sure, if one isn't looking for the symbolism and deeper meaning behind. Finally, this is simply a choice I can't really disagree with, because it is the breaking point of the main character and truly pushes the story to its climax, but I personally just hate watching pets die.
The ugly:
There is one ugly I can point out in this movie. This movie is rated R for the contents of cursing, drinking and all kinds of other adult things. There is also one scene of full frontal male nudity that is incredibly uncomfortable for anyone in the audience to see. However, at least the characters are as uncomfortable as you are.
Conclusion
Unlike my previous review of “Puss in Boots”, this is not a children's movie. In fact, I would argue it's not a movie for the faint of heart. There is a small amount of violence, language and even nudity, yet the story that it tells is beautiful. It is not a happy film; it is a tragicomedy, funny but sad. The truth that it speaks is something anyone who has dealt with fighting with a friend, family members or even depression, can identify with. This movie was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and, the more I think about it, the more I agree it deserves to be up there. It is sad, but in that, there is beauty. I could speak on this film for a very long time. “Niceness doesn't last,” Doherty says. Therein lies the true tragedy; niceness can last, but it can also fade or be destroyed. The competition between glory and civility lies in the heart of the film. “Some things there's no moving on from, and I think that's a good thing.” I give “The Banshees of Inisherin” 10 out of 10 gator tails, a huge recommendation from me.