Some friendships are lifelong. Those people who will tolerate your foibles if you’re lucky enough to connect with them. They’ll have your back. You’ll have a real and genuine bond with them, the kind of bond that can weather years and endure drama. I have a few people like that in my life and I figure that makes me luckier than I deserve. In my experience, those friendships tend to be the exception and not the rule.

Most friendships are temporary. Those people you hung out with in high school? The smart money says that inside of ten years, you won’t be in touch with them beyond the occasional social media interaction. The folks you go for drinks with after work are likely to be only work friends. 

Most friendships perish due to neglect. We get hung up on a significant other, a career, a move, or a family. We keep meaning to reach out, then we realize years have passed. Once in a while, a friendship ends definitively. The affection curdles and changes into something else. Martin McDonagh excels in portraying male friendships. His new film The Banshees of Inisherin dives into an examination of the end of a friendship.

There’s not a hell of a lot to do on the remote Irish island of Inisherin. You’d think there would be, considering it’s 1923 and a civil war rages throughout the whole of Ireland. From the shore of the isle, you can hear the occasional boom of a cannon and see the odd puff of smoke. Other than that, time goes on much the way it always has.

For Padraic (Colin Farrell), that suits him just fine. He’s a milk farmer who’s settled comfortably into a routine that is not what you’d call challenging. Padraic lives with his sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon), tends to his animals, and has a pint with his best friend Colm (Brendan Gleeson) every day around 2:00. When you’re living a lovely bucolic life such as that, what’s the point of wishing for change?

Change comes anyway when Colm announces he no longer wants to be friends with Padraic. He doesn’t want to drink with him, he doesn’t want to speak with him, zip, zero, nada. Understand that these people don’t believe in ghosting. Colm makes it very clear that the friendship is as dead as Julius Caesar and that Padraic should stay away.

But, why? Padraic is bereft by the loss of Colm. Siobhan suggests he just move on. She’s sharper than most and knows that grudges can last as long as the ancient and unchanging rhythms of the island, which is why she considers a job on the mainland. Sure, Padraic could hang out with Dominic (Barry Keoghan), the son of the abusive policeman Peadar(Gary Lydon) and a man who refuses to recognize boundaries. Yet Padraic is determined to repair the relationship with Colm. When he tries, Colm informs him that each time Padraic speaks to him, Colm will chop off one of his own fingers. Then things get really heavy.

If you’ve seen In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths, the previous films directed by Martin McDonagh, you might think you know what you’re in for with The Banshees of Inisherin. Here’s the thing about that…yes, but no. While McDonagh hasn’t made another crime comedy with potty-mouthed crooks and double-crosses aplenty, he’s made another film about male camaraderie with jet-black humor and moments of shocking violence. It’s all set under the gloomy and beautiful skies of Ireland. McDonagh shoots the actors against the verdant Irish scenery, which is part of the joke, the idea that these petty squabbles take place against beautiful and remote vistas. 

The real treat is the verbal jousting from McDonagh’s screenplay. What will bring you in is the sharp humor that’s a trademark in his work. Even in the midst of a nightmarish situation, McDonagh’s characters have the presence of mind to be witty. What will keep you watching is his outstanding characterization. From the frustrated artist Colm to the wounded farmer Padraic and the genuinely irritated Siobhan, McDonagh excels at showing different sides to his characters. They all feel natural, genuine, and never act as a plot contrivance.

McDonagh is one of those directors who brings out excellent performances from his cast. He’s a bit of a sadist in that he recognizes the palpable chemistry between Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell, then keeps the two of them apart for long stretches of the film. Farrell feels to me like more of the Academy favorite for a nomination. His Padraic is a limited man. He’s incurious, likes routine, and can’t understand why his friend would abandon him or why his sister would want to leave. He stretches between bemusement, black rage, and despair. Speaking of despair, Gleeson’s Colm feels like the trickier role to me. Like Padraic, we’re kept in the dark for a bit as to his change of heart. Part of it is a love of music and a desire to create a legacy. Part of it is genuine boredom with Padraic. Much of it, I suspect, is a mystery to Colm himself, and Gleeson plays those contradictions beautifully.

They don’t dominate all the scenes, and two performances need to be praised. I loved Kerry Condon as Siobhan. She does outstanding work with her boiling frustration toward her dim brother, toward the meaningless feud, and toward a community that’s happy to stay stuck in the past. There’s a stunning shot of her on a boat heading for the mainland. She wears a canary yellow coat and is surrounded by people in drab browns, blacks, and greens. That moment tells us exactly how she feels about getting out of Dodge. The other performance is Barry Keoghan’s Dominic. For the most part, we see him as a cheerfully oblivious loudmouth. Watch for the scene where he lets down his persona and exposes a sweet vulnerability. It’s a lovely moment in a sea of scabrous pettiness.

You’ve ended a friendship or had a friendship end. You’ve probably felt relief, sorrow, or annoyance. You probably haven’t threatened to self-mutilate. The Banshees of Inisherin knows when to be intimate, when to go a little big, and still remains blisteringly honest. This is one of the best films of the year.

Tim Brennan
Tim has been alarmingly enthusiastic about movies ever since childhood. He grew up in Boulder and, foolishly, left Colorado to study Communications in Washington State. Making matters worse, he moved to Connecticut after meeting his too-good-for-him wife. Drawn by the Rockies and a mild climate, he triumphantly returned and settled down back in Boulder County. He's written numerous screenplays, loves hiking, and embarrassed himself in front of Samuel L. Jackson. True story.  
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