Grade: A
The Banshees of Inisherin is, among many things, a love letter to all things Irish. I believe anybody can appreciate the first few shots, even if you don’t enjoy the whole movie – though I think it’s one of the best of the year. You will want to live on this fictional island of Inisherin, in April 1923.
Writer/director Martin McDonagh (Seven Psychopaths, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) has constructed a plot so simple, it could be an episode of a sitcom or cartoon show aimed at small children. After playing so many American characters, Colin Farrell, from Dublin, finally gets to speak in his regular voice. He plays Pádraic, who lives with his sister Siobhan (a marvelous Kerry Condon). Every day, he stops by his best friend Colm’s house at 2:00 to let him know it’s time for their routine trip to the pub for a pint or 5. One day, Colm (Brendan Gleeson) starts giving Pádraic the cold shoulder, and tells him he doesn’t like him anymore, doesn’t want to be friends, and to leave him alone. This has happened literally overnight, like a switch was flipped.
You could think of this as the 1920’s equivalent of getting unfriended. No warning. Out of the blue. Little to no explanation. Everything was fine, now suddenly you’re ghosted. Left out in the proverbial cold to wonder “is it me, is it them…?” I found myself identifying with Farrell’s character much of the time, even when he comes across as pushy or overly desperate. He just wants to know what’s going on, and why, and what he can do to fix it. He valued the friendship, and is mourning the loss of what was. Not to mention the pushiness and desperation wouldn’t have reached that point if his friend had just done a little communicating.
The Banshees of Inisherin can be messy and rough around the edges. I had questions about the medical consequences and legal repercussions that should occur from the actions of the characters. Some don’t quite ring true and are glossed over, while others can be more or less explained by remembering that this is 1923. However, I can’t think of a movie this year that has moved me or pushed these specific buttons like this one. I laughed and cried. My biggest laugh came from the final line in the first scene at the church’s confessional booth. My tears came from the part where Siobhan turns down an offer for a date with a local town boy who has always had a crush on her, and he says a 4 word phrase that is heart-twisting. I’ve felt that so hard.
I haven’t even talked about the beautiful locations, the violin playing, the score that sounds like it came from an Irish music box, or the creepy old woman who shares unsolicited premonitions like a MacBeth witch. I’ll leave you to discover how this all coalesces, warts and all, so gloriously. I wasn’t crazy about Belfast last year, but The Banshees of Inisherin is a worthy ode to somewhere that’s green.
Grade: A
Film Reviews by Mark 
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