Martin McDonagh’s film, presented in competition, sees Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in brilliant performances
VENICE – Padraico (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson) are best friends, the ones you meet every day at the pub – the fact that there is nothing else to do on their island off the Irish coast in the 1920s is just a detail. Out of nowhere, Colm refuses the daily invitation to go to the bar. When Pádraic asks why, Colm replies that he no longer wants to be his friend. As would a fifth grade child.
that’s how it starts The Banshees of Inisherinnew movie of Martin McDonaghgoing to his parents’ Ireland after his American history Three ads for a crime (2017), Academy Award for Actress (Frances McDormand) and Supporting Actor (Sam Rockwell). It’s also her reunion with Farrell and Gleeson, who starred in her first feature film, In the eye of the boss (2008). The actors are fantastic, making two menacing characters irresistible. Claim your rewards now, both in Venice Film Festival like at the Oscars.
As always, McDonagh creates intelligent dialogues that do not deny the theatrical origins of the director and screenwriter: a screenplay award would not be unexpected in Venice. But he also infuses the film with the specificity of the place. An island presupposes isolation, especially considering that we are in 1923, when the Civil War rages in the country. The inhabitants hear the cannons in the distance. It is also a sparsely populated island, with few opportunities for recreation, meeting new people and finding affinity, given the few options.
Hence Pádraic’s desperation when Colm says he no longer wants friendship. He just doesn’t accept it. He wants to know what he did, how to get around it. Colm coldly says he wants to focus on his music, he’s getting old and can’t waste time with someone speechless like Pádraic, able to spend two hours talking about the poop of one of his animals but unable to share the deepest feelings and opinions, except with his sister, Siobhán (Kerry Condon),
Actor Colin Farrell at the screening of the film ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ Photo: Ettore Ferrari / EFE / EFE
Colm also promises that if Pádraic keeps pushing, he will cut a finger from his hand. It doesn’t matter if he interferes with the creation of your music. Does Pádraic give up or try at all costs to reestablish his friendship with Colm?
The Banshees of Inisherin confronts the viewer with the pain of breaking up a relationship. Pádraic is confused, terrified, as he knows whoever has been in the situation. But it is also, more precisely, a film that shows the complications of male friendship, so little explored in cinema. The film is about the pain of men, the difficulty of expressing themselves, sharing feelings and how their inabilities often turn into violent acts. Another important character, Domenico (Barry Keoghan), a kind of village fool, fails to get close to women and is physically punished by his father.
McDonagh shows great compassion for these fractured characters that they act in absurd ways. It’s perhaps his sweeter film than he is, even though it’s loaded with melancholy and the dark comedy he likes so much.
Source: Terra
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
