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What are friends for? That's a question that's often asked rhetorically when acknowledging something done among friends. But seriously, what are friends for? Are they people you feel comfortable with and want to hang out with, people to aimlessly chat with, or is there a deeper value to be attributed to friendship; something you feel the need to get something from?
The Banshees of Inisherin seems to ask that question as it follows longtime friends Colm (Brendan Gleeson) and Padraic (Colin Farrell) reach a crossroad in their relationship. Colm seems to be going through an existential crisis that makes him see little value in his relationship with Padraic, especially as he approaches a certain age, whereas Padraic just can't believe his old mate doesn't wanna hang out with him anymore.
The thing is that Colm seems to be more interested in the future, his "legacy" as a musician, rather than his friendship with Padraic. McDonagh uses this conundrum to explore what is our place and purpose in the world – to create and leave "something" behind – or just to be nice to people, but also what it means to be a friend in the face of despair, maturity, growth, and even death.
Are friendships supposed to be this "transactional" relationship where you're supposed to "get something" out of the other? Are we meant to be friends with everybody forever and ever, regardless of how much we change and grow, or is Colm behaving like a 12-year old? It's interesting how, upon Colm's rejection, Padraic latches onto Dominic (Barry Keoghan), the friendly but dim-witted son of the local policeman, as if establishing a new "friend hierarchy" with him at the top.
But that dilemma is just the beginning. McDonagh ends up taking the story into really unexpected ways, anchored by four amazing performances in Gleeson, Farrell, Keoghan, and Kerry Condon as Padraic's sister, perhaps the most level-headed resident of Inisherin. They are all blessed with a script that's smart, clever, funny, witty, deep, and evoking equal doses of despair and hope, in an amazing mixture of tragedy and comedy.
Grade:
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
(2022, McDonagh)
(2022, McDonagh)
“We’ll keep aimlessly chatting, and me life will keep dwindling, and in 12 years I’ll die with nothin’ to show for it, bar the chats I’ve had with a limited man. Is that it?”
What are friends for? That's a question that's often asked rhetorically when acknowledging something done among friends. But seriously, what are friends for? Are they people you feel comfortable with and want to hang out with, people to aimlessly chat with, or is there a deeper value to be attributed to friendship; something you feel the need to get something from?
The Banshees of Inisherin seems to ask that question as it follows longtime friends Colm (Brendan Gleeson) and Padraic (Colin Farrell) reach a crossroad in their relationship. Colm seems to be going through an existential crisis that makes him see little value in his relationship with Padraic, especially as he approaches a certain age, whereas Padraic just can't believe his old mate doesn't wanna hang out with him anymore.
The thing is that Colm seems to be more interested in the future, his "legacy" as a musician, rather than his friendship with Padraic. McDonagh uses this conundrum to explore what is our place and purpose in the world – to create and leave "something" behind – or just to be nice to people, but also what it means to be a friend in the face of despair, maturity, growth, and even death.
Are friendships supposed to be this "transactional" relationship where you're supposed to "get something" out of the other? Are we meant to be friends with everybody forever and ever, regardless of how much we change and grow, or is Colm behaving like a 12-year old? It's interesting how, upon Colm's rejection, Padraic latches onto Dominic (Barry Keoghan), the friendly but dim-witted son of the local policeman, as if establishing a new "friend hierarchy" with him at the top.
But that dilemma is just the beginning. McDonagh ends up taking the story into really unexpected ways, anchored by four amazing performances in Gleeson, Farrell, Keoghan, and Kerry Condon as Padraic's sister, perhaps the most level-headed resident of Inisherin. They are all blessed with a script that's smart, clever, funny, witty, deep, and evoking equal doses of despair and hope, in an amazing mixture of tragedy and comedy.
Grade: