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The Banshees of Inisherin
From the people who brought us In Bruges and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri comes 2022's The Banshees of Inisherin, a dark and bittersweet tale of a broken friendship, mounted on a breathtaking canvas, that simultaneously confuses and rivets the viewer as it builds to a fever pitch with a climax we definitely don't see coming.
Set off the cost of Ireland, this is the story of Padraic (Collin Farrell) and Colm (Brendon Gleeson), lifelong friends whose friendship comes to an impasse when Colm calmly announces that he no longer wants to be Padraic's friend, Padraic is confused because he doesn't know what he did, but Colm makes some shocking and unpredictable moves in an attempt to have Padraic take him seriously. It is Padraic's confusion and Colm's tight-lipped silence about what he's doing that turns the re-building of a friendship into a war.
First of all, compliments to director and screenwriter Martin McDonaugh for the look of this film. The film is absolutely gorgeous to look at and cinematographer Ben Davis should be a lock for an Oscar nomination for his flawless work here. This is another one of those movies filled with shots that look like paintings. Equally impressive were scenes that foreshadowed what was coming but we don't realize it as we're watching.
The unusual hook of this story is that we're never told exactly why Colm wants to end his friendship with Padraic which should aggravate the viewer to the point of tuning out, but in this instance, it only fuels the story's power and just makes us want more than anything than to see the problems with these two resolve themselves. Also loved the fact that two of the central characters in the story are animals...initially coming off as scenery dressing, we are surprised that, as the film progresses, Colm's dog and Padraic's baby donkey become important story elements. The story quietly builds to a jaw-dropping climax that left this reviewer limp.
Colin Farrell could finally earn his first Oscar nomination for his spellbinding performance as Pedraic, the first time I have seen him completely lose himself inside a role and Gleeson is equally compelling as Colm, and though I don't see them both getting nominations, they both deserve nods. A Best Picture nomination is not out of the realm possibility either. Mention should also be made of Kerry Kondon as Padraic's sister Siobahn and Barry Keoghan, who starred with Farrell in The Killing of a Sacred Deer as the severely damaged Dominic. Carter Burwell's music is the icing on this riveting and often chilling cinematic piece of cake.
From the people who brought us In Bruges and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri comes 2022's The Banshees of Inisherin, a dark and bittersweet tale of a broken friendship, mounted on a breathtaking canvas, that simultaneously confuses and rivets the viewer as it builds to a fever pitch with a climax we definitely don't see coming.
Set off the cost of Ireland, this is the story of Padraic (Collin Farrell) and Colm (Brendon Gleeson), lifelong friends whose friendship comes to an impasse when Colm calmly announces that he no longer wants to be Padraic's friend, Padraic is confused because he doesn't know what he did, but Colm makes some shocking and unpredictable moves in an attempt to have Padraic take him seriously. It is Padraic's confusion and Colm's tight-lipped silence about what he's doing that turns the re-building of a friendship into a war.
First of all, compliments to director and screenwriter Martin McDonaugh for the look of this film. The film is absolutely gorgeous to look at and cinematographer Ben Davis should be a lock for an Oscar nomination for his flawless work here. This is another one of those movies filled with shots that look like paintings. Equally impressive were scenes that foreshadowed what was coming but we don't realize it as we're watching.
The unusual hook of this story is that we're never told exactly why Colm wants to end his friendship with Padraic which should aggravate the viewer to the point of tuning out, but in this instance, it only fuels the story's power and just makes us want more than anything than to see the problems with these two resolve themselves. Also loved the fact that two of the central characters in the story are animals...initially coming off as scenery dressing, we are surprised that, as the film progresses, Colm's dog and Padraic's baby donkey become important story elements. The story quietly builds to a jaw-dropping climax that left this reviewer limp.
Colin Farrell could finally earn his first Oscar nomination for his spellbinding performance as Pedraic, the first time I have seen him completely lose himself inside a role and Gleeson is equally compelling as Colm, and though I don't see them both getting nominations, they both deserve nods. A Best Picture nomination is not out of the realm possibility either. Mention should also be made of Kerry Kondon as Padraic's sister Siobahn and Barry Keoghan, who starred with Farrell in The Killing of a Sacred Deer as the severely damaged Dominic. Carter Burwell's music is the icing on this riveting and often chilling cinematic piece of cake.