Venice Film Festival 2022: The Banshees of Inisherin (Competition) | Review
Martin McDonagh reunites with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson to tell a touching story about proud yet solitary men in The Banshees of Inisherin.
It couldn’t have been a nicer afternoon when Martin McDonagh decides to open his new story The Banshees of Inisherin. This is apparent by the striking beauty of the vast landscapes, the arch of the glorious rainbow and the happy chirp of the village folk dressed in tweed all topped by Colin Farrell’s boisterous grin. What’s this now, you think – are we meant to believe this version of Ireland? All that’s missing is someone saying Top of the mornin to ya! and I’m sure there was a happy fiddle in the background. But McDonagh is smart enough to push the limit, cross the line as a tease, but never drown on the other side of it. It is this push and tease that make the first part of The Banshees of Inisherin so lively and funny.
Farrell plays Padraig – a fella blissfully happy that it’s 2 in the afternoon. It’s tradition that at 2pm he walks down to his friend Colm‘s house (Brendan Gleeson) and picks him up to go to the pub where they drink away the evening. But today is different. Colm is sitting in his house but won’t answer Padraig‘s calls. It all points to the fact that they were rowing and this phrase begins a hilariously executed bit that goes far without losing its steam. It feels good to be on Inisherin with McDonagh‘s characters. As comfortable as a village pub snug. But be warned. Just like his postcard perfect Ireland isn’t real, neither is the idealistically simple life on Inisherin. The banshees wail there after all and we are about to look behind the curtain.
The story of The Banshees of Inisherin begins when Colm tells Padraig that he doesn’t want to be his friend anymore. His statement is at first taken as a joke, then a curiosity and eventually monstrosity. Padraig‘s sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) sees it first for what it really is – a tragedy. One more silent man on Inisherin, she yelps – that’s all we need. The stakes get higher and McDonagh injects the story with laughter for as long as he can. But by the end, these lonely, selfish, clueless men have embarrassed and hurt each other so much that they will take this tiny grudge to the grave. It was easier when we were fighting the English, the village policeman notes. But he’s fond of a touch of bloodshed either way.
Farrell injects the naive Padraig with just enough misguided enthusiasm to bolster his innocence that slowly turns murkier as the story progresses. Gleeson, on the other hand, is dark from the start and he gets sharper and more dangerous as time goes by. Both tackle McDonagh‘s wacky material with emotion and care, perfectly understanding that there’s more than a few shared pints on the line. The Banshees of Inisherin are a captivating, charming, heartbreaking story. Perfectly Irish, then.
Colin Farrell wins the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and Martin McDonagh takes home the Golden Osella for Best Screenplay at the 79th Venice Film Festival.
