So this is some next level ghosting. Not only does Colm (Brendan Gleeson) no longer want to associate with his drinking buddy Pádraic (Colin Farrell) ever again, he’s going to remove a finger from his own hand for every time Pádraic tries speaking to him. Imagine if you had a (former) friend so violently opposed to communicating with you they’d sooner maim themselves. That is some next level f***ed up.
Hmmm, should I be checking former friends for finger count?
Located a short ways off the coast of Ireland, the (fictional) isle of Inisherin hosts maybe 100 souls maximum, and that’s being generous. Living there and deciding you aren’t going to talk to one of them ever again is kind of a big deal. Deciding to snip off your own finger as a result? That’s also next level. Next level crazy. And I have to believe this threat can’t come of nowhere. If you threaten somebody with cutting off your own finger, I’m guessing that’s something that has been on your mind a while. Like years. There has to be some sort of bizarre secret desire there, right?
Or maybe the film is just matching the political climate on the mainland. See, The Banshees of Inisherin is set in 1923, when Ireland split into two halves, former friends, now “enemies.” It seems likely that writer/director Martin McDonagh intended for the arbitrary squabble between drinking buddies to mirror the Irish Civil War – Colm offers almost nothing in the way of reason for why he doesn’t want to deal with Pádraic [pronounced “Pa-(sound of someone choking)”] any longer. Sure, there’s mention of how dull Pádraic is, but is that really worth your fingers? I suspect this arbitrary animosity is supposed to reflect the insanity of the civil war across the water.
Colm is keen on legacy; one of the astute questions the film asks is: Would you rather be liked or remembered? (As if you have a choice) Fearing his own end is coming, Colm has decided to compose in lieu of hanging out at the local pub 24/7 (now he only goes there 12/7). His new tune, The Banshees of Inisherin, will have to be written while he still has the fingers to play his fiddle.
So contemplate that for a second – a man willing to destroy his own musical ambition just to get another fella to leave him be … and then contemplate the “friend” who won’t leave him be. As humans
you both suck. Colm lives alone with only a dog to keep him company. Pádraic lives with his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon), the far smarter of the two, and a petting zoo of farm animals constantly wandering in and out of the house. Pádraic treats several of his farming beasts as family to the disappointment of Siobhán [pronounced like one dry-heaving]. If only you could go day drinking with the donkey instead of Colm, huh Pádraic?
The Banshees of Inisherin is both intelligent and off-putting. The metaphor of the Irish Civil War as expressed in two former friends is a clever one, yet I cannot help thinking both men have a screw loose and wishing the film dealt more with the saner people in the town. This is a decent watch, and will almost certainly keep your attention despite at least one of the main characters being “dull as dirt.” But I’m not going to rave and rant about the film; I’ll leave that to the real Banshees, those with a full complement of fingers or those otherwise be-handed.
That one Irish guy near insists
In a better world, the other nay exists
I don’t want to spoil the hype
But why not live your stereotype?
And settle your differences with fists
Rated R, 114 Minutes
Director: Martin McDonagh
Writer: Martin McDonagh
Genre: Allegory?
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: People who live for black comedy
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: “Why would you do that?!”
