Sarah Gratton

A very quick review of Banshees of Inisherin with mild spoilers. I never fancied myself as a movie reviewer but there was something about this film that makes me want to talk about it. Though a period piece, the dialogue, drama and character interactions could take place in any time if you took it out of its set and put it in any other location. It presents us with a small rural community where everyone knows one another, which is familiar to anyone who has lived it. There’s a comforting warmth that comes with watching this film: everyone knowing each other on first-name basis, the fast-moving gossip, the routine trips to the pub because of the fact there’s nothing else to do. It’s also relatable to anyone who has experienced a friendship breakup – the way that the ex-friend will continue being friendly with everyone except you, and the heartbreak and humiliation that comes with that. Seeing them succeed when you are being left behind is one of the most painful feelings a person can experience. Colm’s extreme measures to get Padraic to leave him alone leaves us feeling so sad for both men, because it’s clearly not easy on Colm either. There’s reluctance on his face whenever the two interact; a resistance that hints to the audience that he doesn’t want to be treating his best friend like that, despite doing the most to keep him away and prove his point. This is especially evident when Padriac gets beaten by Peader in front of him, as all he does is watch with a pained expression. The film provides a sort of assurance to those who’ve experienced the sudden loss of a friend and shows us that even men in their older age can experience the strained heartache of a friend that wants nothing to do with them. It’s the sudden broken routine combined with the stares from your peers, and it makes you feel confused and lonely, not to mention paranoid. How, even in a room full of people, the only one you really want to talk to is the one who doesn’t even look at you but when they do you can’t even begin to imagine what they truly think of you. The political under themes of the movie are carefully placed but are still important enough to show the impact of the troubles in Ireland, especially in small, social communities who watch from afar. The entire cast does an incredible job. There’s a clear rapport between each member and the flow is unbreakable. The conversations that take place are so believable and realistic and it adds to the familiarity this film so greatly brings. I grew up in an Irish family in the south-west of England who was heavily involved with traditional folk things, such as morris dancing, wassails and may day faryes with the ale flowing and men getting a bit too confident in their baldrics. Dingy cold pubs from the 1600’s that smelled of damp wood and cigarettes, fiddle and drum music with bells and folk ballads were a large part of my growing up, as well as the quick-talking blunt Irish relatives, so there was a sense of nostalgia this film evoked in me. While the film does escalate and I won’t spoil that for you, there’s definitely a large bittersweet feeling you get at the end of it. So much happens and you’re at the edge of your seat, wishing for things to be better but also anticipating the bad. To this film, I say: “Any time.”

disgustang