The Banshees of Inisherin is a movie that I had no idea was coming out nor had I seen a trailer for, but boy am I glad I went to go see it. The basic premise of this film is that one gentleman no longer wants to be friends with another gentleman. Yes, that is the entire plot. But director Martin McDonagh told this story beautifully. The emotional twists, comic relief, and outstanding performances carried this movie to one of the best of the year.
I want to first talk about the setting. This movie is set on an island off the coast of Ireland. The island of Inisherin is fiction but they did film the movie on a few different actual Ireland islands. The scenery of Ireland is absolutely stunning, and I have always said, if I ever move to a place in Europe, Ireland would be that place. The fields, ocean, and colors are always amazing to see. That adds to this movie.
Second, the acting. Colin Farrell is having one heck of a year in 2022 with The Batman, Thirteen Lives, and now The Banshees of Inisherin. He is creeping up my list of all-time favorite actors. He was the perfect cast choice alongside Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan. All three of these actors knocked it out of the park in this one, plus good performances from the supporting actors and actresses as well.
I also want to point out the music. The violin is one of the most soothing, yet strong instruments and it is the main focus of this movie. Colm, played by Brendan Gleeson, is a master of this instrument and makes his own music and songs. This is part of the main plot of why he no longer wants to be friends with Padraic, played by Colin Farrell. I will articulate this in the spoiler section.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Watch the movie and then come back to this section- Like really.
When Colm cut off his first finger, I was surprised as everyone in the theater. When he first told Padraic that if he kept on trying to talk to him, he would cut off every one of his fingers. Padraic, like myself, thought he was bluffing. And then I was surprised again. When Padraic went to talk to him for what seemed like the second or third time, the conversation seemed to be going very well. That is until Colm decided to cut off the rest of his fingers on his left hand.
As I said before, the violin and music played a huge part in this film. The main reason why Colm wanted to no longer be friends with Padraic was that he was growing old and was running out of time. His vision was to make more music. Which is another reason why he actually cut his fingers off. He wants to make Padraic feel terrible that he is actually screwing up his future.
I am still unsure how to feel about what he did. I understand that he wanted to get his point across but at least cut off the finger on his other hand where he just holds the bow so he can still play the chords and notes on his other hand.
Final Thoughts
Overall, The Banshees of Inisherin is such a well-written and portrayed story. It makes me want either a sequel, to see what happens in the end or a prequel to see what their friendship was like before Colm decided to end things.
