The Banshees of Inisherin is named after a song written in the film that is described as being sad, and I'd say that same description could be used for the film as well. Set on a small island with the fitting backdrop of a civil war brewing within earshot on the mainland, this is perhaps one of the smaller and more personal films that director Martin McDonagh has tackled so far, and it may well be his best yet.
I feel we've all probably experienced the abrupt end of a friendship at some point, whether we're the one suddenly cut off, or we're the one who's grown tired of someone and has as such cut them off. So in that way, I could certainly relate to the story and both characters' perspectives, up to an obvious point at least.
The betrayal that Colin Farrell's character feels is very real, the hurt and confusion and insecurity that comes from such a sudden cut off, questioning what you may have said or done wrong, and how you can possibly get to a place to fix things, even when it's well beyond your control to do so. His performance was phenomenal, and believably sold the range of emotions that one would likely feel in such a situation. And I like how the movie showed how such a breakup in such a small community can have ramifications that shake up the whole town.
And even from Brenden Gleeson's perspective, I can relate in certain regards. He's haunted by his mortality, he sees his life as being wasted, and is striving to leave a lasting impact on the world. I can understand that, and I've certainly reached a point with certain friendships where I've felt they were merely holding me back, at times when I was ready to move on to a new stage in life. But the depths to which he travels in order to cement his place in history turns him into an undeniable villain in the process. His cruelty infests the small island, which in turn transforms otherwise good people towards cruelty as well, which starts a domino effect that leaves behind a legacy of death and malice. He argues that kindness is not enough to leave a lasting impression on the world, and yet his actions take an otherwise beautiful landscape and fill it with darkness, mirroring his song which is both beautiful yet sad.
But despite all of this, he too feels like a real and complex character. He's cruel, yet he has moments where he shows regret for his decisions. He wants to end his friendship with Farrell, yet despite how much he pleads for Farrell to leave him alone, even he can't set aside his own humanity enough to just let Farrell's character be attacked by the police and left a beaten mess. He's a hypocrite, whether he knows it or not, but it all comes across as believable. From his perspective, he's the hero of his own story, until at last he finally sees that he's not.
It's a tragic film for sure, but the movie does a great job balancing just enough humor and lighter moments to keep it from being too bleak, and I loved a lot of the idiosyncrasies spread throughout the film. I always got a chuckle by Farrell always letting the donkey in the house when his sister was away, and got a good laugh when he lets in all the animals after she leaves for the mainland. I liked the simple-mindedness of the barkeep and some of the patrons, how they'd just mindlessly parrot one another, seemingly oblivious that they're even doing it. In fact, I like how real and lived-in this small community feels, and we get to know just enough about the background characters to where we almost get a feel for what it might be like living in such a community where literally everybody knows everybody, too.
(Also, Kerry Condon was quite excellent, and I may have formed a bit of a crush on her over the course of the movie.)
I'd say this was a deep experience worth reflecting on.
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