There is a kind of madness that comes from being in a small town. There is no sense of privacy, little sense of individuality, or even a chance of escape in a place where everyone knows each other. Martin McDonagh's latest comedy The Banshees of Inisherin is wickedly funny and nerve-rattling.
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson reprise their roles in a new tale of friendship. Irish actors are playing villagers of a fictional town off the West Coast of Ireland. Inisherin was a place of cozy farmland, picturesque cliffs, a local pub, and a local market. On the mainland, there can be explosions that can sometimes be heard across the sound. The entire island is thrown into darkness by a simple request.
It's a day like any other in Inisherin when simple farmer Pdraic Silleabhin takes his routine walk to his best friend's house in hopes of hitting the pub for a drink. Today, when the clock strikes two PM and Pdraic knocks on his friend's door, he learns his friend has decided not to befriend him. Colm, a musician with a mug on him, will cut off his own finger if Pdraic doesn't speak to him again. For each boundary.
Credit: Searchlight Pictures
Don't even think about Chekov's gun. With a smirking and savage wit, McDonagh has laid down an urgent set of stakes. They might be playing music for the crowd at the pub. Pdraic will have to deal with the mess of it at the Silleabhins' front door.
Throwing a self-amputated finger at a door is not a good idea. There isn't a map for what is to come. This uncertainty causes the sickening tension in The Banshees of Inisherin to intensify. It's not likely that a display like this will make Pdraic less to say to. Considering how casually he carries about his self-mutilation, it's unlikely that Colm will back down. It's not possible that anyone will be able to stop something.
You know that things will get weird and worse if you're familiar with any of McDonagh's previous work. The shuddering fun of his latest is what escalates.
Credit: Searchlight Pictures
Dialogue with a jaunty tone and a sharp edge is the best way to balance the bloodiness and threat of more violence. Farrell and Gleeson are a comedy duo of straight men and stooges. Colm's tone is so calm that his lines drive audiences to bark in shock and laughter. There is a conflict between the two. Farrell's response is the knockout.
Farrell played the fool in the movie In Bruges. His earnest replies and befuddled expressions bolster the punchlines that he drops from his pocket. Pdraic might be the hero of a rom-com with his wide eyes and desperation to please. His initial guilelessness is a wonderful lure to drive us deeper into the dangers of rejection, the violence of betrayal, and the darkness that can lie in even the nice guy in town.
As he exposes a decline of character with the agility of a trapeze artist, Farrell is generating buzz as a Best actor contender for the Oscars. Even as Pdraic readies himself to take action, some gruesome part of you might be rooting for him. Pdraic's quest has a power fantasy for anyone who is depressed. Colm offers a freeing fantasy of giving no fucks in a small town where everyone knows your business in his story. There is a riveting match between these wild wishes.
Credit: Searchlight Pictures
The Oscar-winning short "Six Shooter," which features Gleeson as a grieving husband, is one of the first films that McDonagh has ever cast. The cast of The Banshees of Inisherin is rich and famous. Colm is carrying the weight of an unhappy life heavy on his shoulders. Condon is a light in the dark and he fires off at his friends. A character who is itchingly annoying even as you feel for him is created by the overzealousness that turns a friend into a pest. Flitton brings out a crooked smile and menacing energy as Mrs. McCormick, a woman who is frightening and funny.
The Banshees of Inisherin is a different kind of comedy. In choosing a less frantic tone, he chose to soothe and sting the island's natives. As the core conflict escalates into social anarchy, there is no escape from the social awkwardness. McDonagh and his cast are ruthless in this execution, providing catharsis with dark cackles, along with breathless bits in between where we wait to see what will happen next. We sit in silent witness, hoping that the best that can be salvaged from this ravaged friendship can be found. Are we excited about what might happen? Our hopes are toyed with like a cat batting a mouse by the man.
The Banshees of Inisherin is a kind of fun that will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. Don't forget to watch it.
The film The Banshees of Inisherin was reviewed. The film will be shown in theaters in October.
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