He wants to do something people will remember, and sitting around listening to Padraic ramble on about donkey manure isn't helping him reach that goal. Convinced he hasn't much time left (12 years to be exact), Colm has dreams that reach beyond Inisherin - not far beyond, but beyond nonetheless. "I just don't like ya no more," is the only explanation he gives.īut that's not enough for Padraic, an all-around nice guy who's perfectly content with his simple, unremarkable life on the island (so much so that he has earned the reputation of being a bit dull).īut the older Colm has found himself in an existential malaise. Colm comes to the conclusion that he no longer wants to be friends with Padraic. But something has changed, quite literally overnight. In this small, tight-knit, and delightfully eccentric community, Padraic Suilleabhain (Farrell) and Colm Doherty (Gleeson) have long been best friends. And of course there's the hub of all social activity - the local pub, where everything can be celebrated, mourned, or hashed out over a pint of Guinness. Set in 1923, McDonagh greets us with a stunner of an opener as his camera introduces us to Inisherin, with its lush green grass, jagged cliffs, long sandy beaches, endless stone fencing and handful of cozy rustic cottages. That's a question never posed on Inisherin, a small fictional isle sitting close enough to the Irish mainland to see and hear the sounds of civil war, yet sits far enough away to feel like a world all its own. It asks the strangely fascinating question - what's more important, being nice or being remembered? Why not be both? you ask. It pits the desire to be alone against the need for companionship. It examines humanity through petty grievances. "Banshees" is a movie that lives and breathes in the mundanity of life. Together they make a captivating duo in perfect sync with McDonagh's mordant sensibility. Joining him is his "In Bruges" co-star Brendan Gleeson, one of the most reliably great actors working today. First came his quiet meditative work in "After Yang." Then his scene-stealing turn in "The Batman." After that, he gave a wonderfully grounded performance in "Thirteen Days." (Editor's note: Farrell was also pretty terrific in the 2021 BBC miniseries "The North Water," which is now streaming on Amazon Prime.) Now he re-teams with McDonagh in "Banshees" and (in keeping with his sparkling 2022 trend) he's sublime. What a year it has been for Colin Farrell. It's built on the back of one of the best screenplays of the year - one that ushers us down a dark and twisted path, yet has us laughing every step of the way. It's his most intimate, most soulful and most mature movie, yet it still features many of the trademarks his fans (and critics) will look for. Simply put, "Banshees" is pretty great and my favorite McDonagh film to date. I really liked his 2008 feature film debut "In Bruges." I was lukewarm on his 2012 follow-up "Seven Psychopaths." I thoroughly disliked his third film, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." So what about his fourth film, "The Banshees of Inisherin"? Seeing "Written and directed by Martin McDonagh" attached to a movie instantly throws my expectations up in the air.
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