Set betwixt a feud of two old friends on an island off the coast of civil-war Ireland, The Banshees of Inisherin is a dark, melancholic film that seamlessly blends weighty themes of friendship and legacy with a distinct macabre humour that you’ll only find in a Martin McDonagh movie.
It’s truly dramatic drama at it’s finest, with touches of absurd humour sprinkled throughout. Being told through the chemistry and timing of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason solidifies the balance of humour and solemnity. They produce a unique sense of genuine stakes and tension that almost has no business being there in a story of this scale.
You’ll ask yourself: “what am I even watching?” But as the tale progresses, so too does the unsettling and absurd nature of the plot, culminating in a totally unpredictable and equally frustrating ending. Does it give us any answers? Absolutely not. But it’s hard when there genuinely isn’t one.
Any Good? One of 2022’s best. Go watch it!