Set in the background of the Irish revolution, the film plays with ideologies and metaphors that give us a candid analysis of what is friendship and being a good person.  

Reviews

By Julissa Castro / Matthew Staff || Edited by Victoria Vega

Director Martin McDonagh 

Writer Martin McDonagh 

Stars Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, Pat Shortt 

Rating R 

Running Time 1h 49m  

Genres Comedy, Drama 

“The Banshees of Inisheer” is set on a remote, nonexistent island in Ireland named Inisherin. The movie follows our two main characters, Padric and Colm, their complicated relationship, and their daily lives on this breathtaking island that, while fictional, captures the essence of the Irish landscape. Padric and Colm were best friends until one day, Colm cut the relationship without explaining. Set in the background of the Irish revolution, the film plays with ideologies and metaphors that give us a candid analysis of what is friendship and being a good person.  

What draws the line between being good and being dull?  

For most of the movie, our characters try to justify their decisions. We have two opposing sides that fight for their ideologies. Padric won’t give up fighting for his friendship, while Colm, who is looking for peace and leaving a legacy through his music, tries to stop Padric in a way that contradicts his goal. This movie can be characterized as a conversation between two friends. Its various supernatural and folkloric elements add suspense and raise the stakes for the character. In amazing performances and monologues by the actor Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, the audience is invested in finding out how the characters will resolve their differences. Even though the movie has a slow beginning, it’s ending rapidly ascends to madness and chaos. The Banshees, while never present in the film, can also represent the atmosphere that the characters have created with their fallout. It is also through the use of these folkloric undertones that the viewers second-guess everything that occurs and anxiously waits to see what will happen next. With a metaphor for the Irish revolution, the movie takes the argument to a micro level and makes it into a chaotic relationship that can’t be resolved.  

Making unprecedented cinema history, “The Banshees of Inisheer” gives its viewer a taste of Ireland, from beautiful landscapes, pubs, and passionate characters by taking on topics such as relationships and the meaning of life. Its cinematography pulls the viewers into this mythical island and its peculiar inhabitants, giving the plotline a very unexpected turn of events. The characters are unpredictable, and their relationship leaves the viewers pondering friendship dynamics which is why the movie is the perfect metaphor for the Irish revolution.  

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