The Banshees of Inisherin

The Banshees of Inisherin

Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.

  • Released:
  • Runtime: 114 minutes
  • Genre: Comedy, Drama
  • Stars: Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, Pat Shortt, Gary Lydon, Sheila Flitton, Jon Kenny, David Pearse, Bríd Ní Neachtain
  • Director: Martin McDonagh
 Comments
  • peterkettle-904-444717 - 25 May 2024
    It's all in the mind.
    The Banshees of Innisherin takes us into areas that touch on our mortality. Superb acting from Gleeson and Farrell. I love and rate this film hugely; I have watched it three times. It is a wrist slasher with a wide range. Dare I say it is Shakespearean? McDonagh takes us to the edge of the shore and then simply leaves us there. A comedy drama is what it is billed to be. But it is much more. Profound and moving, it is about our unknown inner selves, dark to light. I rate all the actors here. Colin Farrell has done nothing better and Brendan Gleeson should have got a gong or two. And the great Kerry Condon, so superb as Farrell's sister, and a complete contrast to her tough gangster In The Land Of Saints and Sinners. She was also in Mcdonagh's brilliant Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Barry Keoghan very good indeed with a character that could merely be performed as a caricature; here he suggests multitudes. The film has lyrical moments and true horrors and some beautiful music. It dares to leave the audience with unexplained mysteries. Just as Samuel Beckett and Shakespeare often do.
  • sublimineyes - 23 March 2024
    Wonderful first half. Self indulgent, far too Irish, mess of a second half.
    This started so well. Refreshingly different, visuals and sounds top notch, acting solid (Farrell as usual rather lightweight and 2D but for large parts gets the job done).

    It built nicely, paced well, got its hook planted and drew me in.

    And Barry Keoghan's performance is world class, with Kerry Condon's very strong.

    I was thinking at least an 8 star, maybe a 9.

    But those in charge got too full of themselves, became self indulgent, partook of the myth of Irish uniqueness, and opted for entirely predictable plot lines, turning it into both a dull and tedious affair. At least the visuals and sounds stay the course.

    Such a shame.

    Would also have been better to go with the stronger actor by making Gleeson the more talkative, Farrell the quieter. Farrell could then have used his eyebrows to better effect.

    Anyway, I've gone down the middle. Sort of. 8 or 9 for the first half plus, 2 for the last half.