Feeling as if we have achieved something in life grows in importance as we age; wanting to leave a mark on the world before you depart is a normal part of life and something that most people find through either their family or their work. But as people increasingly find themselves devoid of either a robust family life, meaningful connections with others, or a robust résumé, the question of their place in the world and its lasting history becomes a heavy one. The longer it remains unanswered, the more drastic many in society lash out at those around them, looking to control something if they cannot control the most pertinent question of life. The latest film from writer/director Martin McDonagh examines this phenomenon.
Set on a remote island off the coast of Ireland, The Banshees of Inisherin introduces us to Pádraic (Colin Farrell) who is in for a shock when his friend Colm (Brendan Gleeson) suddenly lets him know he no longer wishes to continue their friendship. Devastated, Pádraic tries to repair the damaged relationship through multiple means, including enlisting the help of his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon), whom he lives with since the death of their parents. Colm, annoyed by Pádraic’s persistence, soon delivers an ultimatum to Pádraic in an effort to get him to leave him alone that begins a chain reaction leading to shocking consequences.
Although The Banshees of Inisherin contains plenty of comedic elements and lines of humorous dialogue, the “dark” in dark comedy is emphasized here as its story is a tale regarding larger issues that mirror growing problems within our own society, those of loneliness and many people feeling lost or stagnant within their lives. While Colm’s issue with Pádraic is ostensibly due to his dull personality and tendency to drone over the mundane aspects of his life, Colm’s deeper issue with his former friend is that the mundanity of Pádraic and his life serves as a reminder for Colm of how pointless and unaccomplished he feels about his own existence, as evidence by whom he surrounds himself with. Colm dreams of being an accomplished and renowned violinist, but the modest, remote isle that he has lived in for his entire life, and likely his father and father’s father before him, does not have a track record of producing legends within classical music.
As Colm nears his later years with no career, no family to speak of, this lack of legacy weighs on his spirit. Unable to control anything that would truly change his fortunes, he takes control the only way he knows how, by lashing out at the avatar for the nothingness that is Inisheer, his friend Pádraic. The village that is shown in the film could be any town, or even city, in the western world that is inhabited by a growing amount of lost people, men in particular, that want to feel a part of something but are increasingly finding that hard to do. The film’s examination of their psyche is definitely topical.
It is for this reason that it is unfortunate that the story and film itself is not as interesting as the concept that it explores. The Banshees of Inisherin moves along at a glacial pace at times, despite the many good things it has going for it. Not only is the film funny in large parts, but the cast is exceptional, led by Colin Ferrell who is sympathetic and hilarious as a dull-witted, simple man who genuinely doesn’t get why his presence is suddenly so grating to someone who just a day earlier was a good friend. Farrell capably hits all of the emotional demands of the role, including the pivotal turn in the film’s third act where things take a dark turn for Pádraic and his mood drastically changes as well. Brendan Gleeson does well as Colm, a man conflicted and in pain at where his life has ended up, hoping against hope for something better. Barry Keoghan is hilarious as Dominic Kearney, who is lost in his own way and hoping to find his way out of a bad home life and into the lives of someone else, a woman hopefully, that will truly love him. Kerry Condon’s Siobhán is the dreamer who seeks to change her fortunes and escape the small, dead-end town she was born in, but feels tied to it for Pádraic’s sake, another all too common real life problem that many will relate to.
But despite these many good parts, their sum just doesn’t add up to a good film, as its concept as written just doesn’t fulfill its nearly two hour runtime. The film feels like it’s dragging at points, the slower pace feeling as if its owed to a story that just isn’t meaty enough. The Banshees of Inisherin contains a lot of promising aspects, but just didn’t stick the landing.
Image: Searchlight Pictures
