The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
By
Jesse E. Mullen
The Banshees of Inisherin deals with all aspects of the Irish experience. The laughs and the community. The drinking and hurt feelings. The vast green landscapes and broken friendships. The tight clusters of pubs and open valley roadways. The threat of impending war and the beauty of waves crashing upon the shores.
It is this duality – the intermingling of beauty and ugliness – which make director Martin McDonagh’s film such an effective viewing. The film tells the story of two friends who fall out as their worlds start to unravel around them – and the damage that it does to both of them, both physically and emotionally.
Banshees is a film that is all about building an atmosphere. Similar to the work of Bill Forsyth circa Local Hero, McDonagh uses the lush surroundings as a de facto co-star to the film. The cinematography looks stunning, with the outdoor ultra-wide-angle shots being particularly gorgeous.
Credit must also be given to McDonagh for developing such an open-ended concept. The story appears simple on a surface level but incorporates elements of Shakespearean tragedy and Camus-inspired existentialism. (That our tragic hero most certainly would not know who either of these literary masters are adds another layer of irony to the proceedings.)
McDonagh’s film ultimately ties several elements into a moving portrait of life on a tiny island off the coast of Ireland. Beit war, the IRA, or broken friendships, the overriding motif is bitterness and the consequences it carries. While this can make for some heavy viewing, The Banshees of Inisherin manages to convey its message through a heavy dose of dark humor. Sometimes laughing is all we can do to avoid crying. 10/10
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