The Banshees of Inisherin opens by introducing us to the small island town of Inisherin. It is a quaint little place, with lush fields of greenery as far as the eye can see, and rainbows spread themselves across the small town’s perpetually overcast sky. Everything seems as-usual in this tight-knit community, until one otherwise uneventful weekday when Colm (Brendan Gleeson) doesn’t show up to meet his best friend Pádraic (Colin Farrell) for their ritual two o’clock trip to the pub. Pádraic goes looking for Colm, worried that something may be wrong with him, and upon finding him, Pádraic learns that Colm no longer wants to be his friend and demands the two immediately cease all contact. An abrupt, seemingly very simple, request from Colm quickly implodes on itself as the two men come to realize how inescapably intertwined their lives have become. As Pádraic insists on mending their friendship, Colm is drawn to increasingly desperate measures to ward off his presence, leading to rippling consequences for Inisherin as a whole.
What begins as a petty squabble between two drinking buddies evolves into a profound discussion of “friendship” as a concept, and what it means not just for these two men, but for all of us. Why do we seek friendship? What are friends for? For Colm, friends are a means to an end on his quest for emotional and artistic fulfillment. He desires a friend who can challenge him intellectually, and he considers Pádraic too “dull” to fulfill his need. Regardless of whether it’s nice or not for Colm to assert himself in such an abrasive fashion, it’s difficult to condemn him as “right” or “wrong” for it either. Everybody’s had a dull friendship before, so it’s almost admirable of Colm to be honest to his “best friend” instead of trapping himself in a relationship he despises out of convenience. Gleeson is the clear standout of the film; his stoicism is never anything less than captivating. He also brings a vulnerability to Colm that keeps the character sympathetic, even at his most unhinged points.
Although Martin McDonagh’s screenplay does portray Colm and his decisions in a somewhat sympathetic light, it’s special in that it simultaneously understands how much pain those decisions can wreak the person on the receiving end. Colm has rid himself of his “burden” but placed a burden of equal quantity on Pádraic in exchange. Pádraic exists as the emotional core of The Banshees of Inisherin, as he’s forced to confront the possibility that he’s spent his entire life as a nuisance on the people he cares about. Colin Farrell’s performance as Pádraic is uniquely pitiable, as the story taps into the innate fear of being “the boring friend”, and the insecurities that can arise from being put into that position.
Through the tension between its two protagonists, The Banshees of Inisherin provides an outlet for the audience to reflect their own relationships. Everybody should relate to the burdens of friendship in one way or another. It might be from Colm’s perspective, as the one being burdened. Or worse, maybe it’s from Colm’s perspective, as the one who is the burden. Realistically, it’s probably some combination of both. Either way, The Banshees of Inisherin is one of this year’s most profoundly emotional films, bringing something new to the “breakup movie” subgenre that it’s rooted in. It’s contemplative, it’s sad, it’s hilarious, and it’s every bit the emotional awards season juggernaut it’s been made out to be. McDonagh, Gleeson, Farrell, and co. have all outdone themselves this one. That being said, The Banshees of Inisherin is well worth checking out!
RATING: 4.5/5 STARS