After many years, a relationship suddenly falls apart, and the consequencesare heartbreaking for both parties. We have seen and read that story so manytimes that it hardly surprises us anymore. Yet director/screenwriter MartinMcDonagh found an angle in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ that is not obvious.What ends up disastrous here is not a romantic relationship but a friendshipbetween two men.
The essence
- ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ is the fourth full-length film by theatre-maker/filmmaker Martin McDonagh. * McDonagh rose to world fame with the drama ‘Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri’. * This time, with a mix of drama and humor, he tells the story of a long-standing friendship that suddenly falls apart. * The setting is a fictional Irish island in 1923, with the civil war in the distant background.
For years, Pádraic (role of Colin Farrell) has enjoyed knocking at the door ofColm (Brendan Gleeson) every day at two o’clock every day, going to the pubtogether and spending several hours there with full pints and casual chat. OnInisherin, the (fictitious) island off the Irish west coast where they live,there is not much to do anyway, but Pádraic is quite content with that simplelife.
However, his surprise is great when one day he receives no answer from Colm,even though he sees through the window that the man is indeed at home. “Maybehe doesn’t like you anymore,” Pádraic’s sister Siobhán jokes. Does she knowmuch that she is closer to the truth than she thinks.
Shakespeare
The Irish filmmaker Martin McDonagh – he prefers to call himself ‘LondonIrish’, because he was born and raised in the British capital as the son ofIrish parents – wrote a first version of ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ sevenyears ago. However, he was not satisfied with that. The premise was alreadythat of the final film, but he realized that his script lacked emotionalweight.
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Martin McDonagh creates beautiful image compositions, but it’s the poignantemotions and small moments that keep you glued to the screen. “
At 52, McDonagh has made up more than enough stories to know what he needs. Hehas been a celebrated theater maker since he was 24, when he wrote seven playsin ten months. Three years later he was the youngest playwright sinceShakespeare to have four performances in London at the same time. When headded cinema to his oeuvre in 2004, success followed him: his short film ‘SixShooter’ (also with Brendan Gleeson) was immediately good for an Oscar, ‘InBruges’ became a cult film, and ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ‘earned two of his seven Oscar nominations.
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ seems to continue on that path, as it receivedboth the award for best actor (Colin Farrell) and best screenplay at theVenice festival. Both awards are fully deserved. Farrell – like the rest ofthe cast for that matter – delivers a lived and variegated performance, whilethe film hides unsuspected depths beneath its seemingly simple surface.
McDonagh creates beautiful compositions for his characters and puts delicious(often witty) dialogues in their mouths, but it’s the harrowing emotions andsmall moments that keep you glued to the screen.
Little civil war
At the end of the ride, ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ is a story about littlepeople who pull each other down with the best intentions and convinced oftheir greatness. In his own words, McDonagh basically agrees with Colm’svision, which states that as a musician he only has a limited number of yearsleft to be creative and that he would rather not waste it any longer withempty talk.
It is, for example, the reason why the filmmaker wants to focus more on filmthan on theater from now on. On the other hand, you also feel sorry forPádraic, who has to conclude that his cheerful mood and sweet character arenot appreciated. The conclusions he draws from this form the pitch-black edgeof a film that strikes a fine balance between humor and drama.
No doubt it is also why McDonagh sets his story in the early 1920s, when abloody civil war was raging in Ireland. What Colm and Pádraic are experiencingis essentially a small-scale civil war of their own. Their conflict alsostarts for futile reasons and spirals out of control as neither side has thecommon sense to put a stop to it. Sad but true.