What do you do when your friend doesn’t want to be your friend anymore?
That is a question that Padraic (Colin Farrell) asks when Colm (Brendan Gleeson) suddenly ends their friendship. He doesn’t believe it to be true and he vows to do whatever he can to make amends, much to the dismay of his sister Sioban (Kerry Condon), the troubled Dominic (Barry Keoghan) and the other islanders. But no matter how hard Padraic tries, Colm’s mind has been made up.
I know that we’re barely two months into the year, but I have to tip my hat off to The Banshees of Inisherin. This is a movie that will make my favorites list by the end of the year, it was that good. And it’s surprising that I say this because I didn’t even think that I wanted to see it at first.
What seems like a simple and straightforward story takes on something a lot more complex. We all know what it is like to break up with a friend; at times it can hurt more than breaking up with a romantic partner and this depiction was certainly unique. Throughout the film, I understood where each character was coming from, their actions and the consequences that stemmed from them. Colm wanting to move on for more enriching friendships made total sense to me, whereas I also felt bad for Padraic and his complete despair over the situation. The way in which the supporting characters dealt with the fallout was also on point.
Everything about this movie seemed so real to me. I don’t know how else to describe it. Not only were the characters brought to life in phenomenal performances by everyone involved, the beautiful Irish landscapes helped me escape for a couple of hours. I could have sat there even longer, learning even more about these people’s lives, eager to see what would happen next.
The Banshees of Inisherin is a special film that is not to be missed. I’ve been on a roll with all these Oscar noms lately, but I have to say I think this one may be the best yet.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Credits Rolling 