Cinephile № 992 “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Recommendation: 4/5 SHOWTIME

Plot: “Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.”

Review: Starring Colin Farrell as Padraic and Brendan Gleeson as Colm, The Banshees of Inisherin is one of the darkest and funniest movies I have seen this year. In its dark and twisted sense of humor, there is also a story with a lot of heart that I found profoundly moving.

With the transitions of life, comes a harsh realization. Some friendships have expiration dates. This natural cycle of life can happen for a multitude of reasons. Interests change, friends move, kids complicate everything, romantic relationships even more so, or perhaps the thing that brought two people together grows old or stale.

In this film, it does not take us long to uncover the reason Colm is no longer interested in a friendship with Padraic. Colm is doing what we all do in our lives. We become fixated on the little time we have left on Earth. Looking around, we attempt to measure our legacy and what we will leave behind. For Colm, after this introspection, he makes the tough decision to part ways with anything that is not bringing his life value or contributing to the legacy he hopes to leave behind.