The Banshees of Inisherin

[Kingofalldems]

This kid was nominated Best Supporting Actor.

Link to tweet

Thank goodness--a movie not about avatars, robots, dinosaurs, super heroes or space aliens. Real people.

[blm]

1. Isn't he supposed to be the next Joker?

He is so good. Brought tenderness and compassion to what started out as such a creepy character.

[Kingofalldems]

2. Don't know---first saw him today.

[Bleacher Creature]

5. Yes, he apparently has a hell of an acting range.

[hlthe2b]

3. I didn't dislike the movie, but honestly I couldn't finish it after (hint at a spoiler)

the donkey...

I just... can't.

[Kingofalldems]

4. Yes I heard some things too.

This scene was great though.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

6. He was in the Eternals as well nt

[MuseRider]

7. I found that movie to be hard to watch.

The acting, all of it was fantastic but it was just so sad. Award worthy absolutely.

I will always watch Brendan Gleeson and Colin Ferrell, but this was just so sad and heavy but also so so well done.

The donkey killed me.

"Thank goodness--a movie not about avatars, robots, dinosaurs, super heroes or space aliens. Real people." Oh god I so so so agree.

[Kingofalldems]

8. Yes I saw just this scene today.

But after hearing the details of the film I won't be seeing it.

[MuseRider]

9. I sure understand that,

that stuff kills me.

Still, watching the acting was pretty awesome. They are so good, the entire cast was so good. The scenery was wonderful. Really all I can say that is bad about it, and not really bad just to me and some others (most so far on DU)but still worth seeing is the sadness. It was heavy and I wanted to stop but also wanted to try to understand it. I still do not understand it but feel just fine about that, I don't think that is necessary for this film.

Obviously I should shut my mouth. I want to say things but they don't want to come out yet!

[Submariner]

10. After watching this "comedy", especially after the donkey part

I expected suicide hotlines were lighting up everywhere to address the crushing depression of those two ‘friends’ interactions.

[greatauntoftriplets]

11. I saw it and it wasn't at all what I expected.

In that sense, I found it to be a huge disappointment. Nor did I see it as a comedy. Yes, the acting was brilliant, the scenery was gorgeous. But the plot was so dark, way too dark for me.

[Mc Mike]

16. The plot was dark, but the theme was attempting

tto understand the senselessness of the Irish Civil War.

[greatauntoftriplets]

22. Well, all civil wars are pretty senseless.

I've studied Irish history on the university level as a secondary major and knew how pointless and tragic that war was. However, I would never describe that movie as a comedy. I watched it expecting to laugh. There was nothing to laugh about.

[Mc Mike]

25. Agreed. Pretty senseless.

And there weren't a lot of laughs in it.

You're way ahead of me on studying Irish history. I just saw the purposeful parallels between Farrell and Gleeson's relationship and the Civil war going on in the background. One long time friend 'just stopped liking' the other, the self-mutilation, the cop not knowing who he was reporting to on the mainland to guard some executions.

[2naSalit]

12. Does this kid have a name?

[Ohio Joe]

15. Barry Keoghan - nt

[Doc Sportello]

13. Recommend highly if you want to be depressed

Sorry but that was my reaction despite - as others have said - the terrific acting, setting and production. I am big fans of everyone from director McDonaugh to actors Farrell, Gleeson and Condon, as well as anything to do with Irish history. I was looking forward to watching it, but think that combination of dark comedy and serious drama is hard to pull off (exception for the Coens). This should have been one or the other. And yeah the donkey was oh no, but also the maiming made the story over the top for me. And the ending was surely no comedy despite what the Golden Globes thought.

[Boomerproud]

23. I love Colin Farrell and almost bought the DVD but cannot take

grossness (maiming) so sadly I"ll pass.

[Doc Sportello]

24. It was sad for me because I was looking forward to it

I know melancholy is an integral part of Irish culture so I didn't expect all sunshine, and McDonaugh is known for dark themes. But it's not just the maiming or the donkey. I expected it would take a deep dive into losing friendship but those elements were part of what I would call silly, even though gross, elements of the story. And it's getting so much praise that I wanted people to know what they are getting with the story.

Farrell is great in it. I watched till the end but won't again.

[Solly Mack]

14. I love the movie. It was at turns hilarious and then tragic and then tragically hilarious.

Last edited Wed Jan 25, 2023, 09:02 PM - Edit history (1)

ETA:

The movie is set during the Irish Civil War (1922-1923) which took place after the Irish War of Independence. During the Civil War people who were friends and brothers-in-arms during the War of Independence became divided between those who supported the brokered peace of Independence but still under the British Empire for now ( w/provisions for full independence at a later date) and those who wanted actual full and total Independence now. (see: Michael Collins, the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the IRA.)

Friends against friends. Brother against brother. Senseless. Violence. Destruction. Death.

On the island of Inisherin, there was another sort of civil war happening between the now former friends of Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and his best friend, Colm (Brendan Gleeson). The Civil War taking place on the mainland was of little concern to the islanders but the civil war between Padraic and Colm was of great importance to them.

This break-up of friendship was happening against the backdrop of the Irish Civil War and if you listen to the dialogue with that in mind, you will see how it plays to both what is happening between the characters on the island and the greater Civil War on the mainland. Even when they are not directly addressing the Civil War, and they do a time or two, the dialogue and the interactions of the islanders still play that way.

Colm cut off his nose to spite his face, more or less. Padraic escalating what he could not accept.

The "Banshee" was Mrs. McCormick and not just of Dominic's turn of event. She speaks about death on the horizon. If you notice in the movie, the most dominant horizon is that of the mainland and the Civil War battles.

The movie was just so incredibly Irish. Wonderfully Irish.

[panader0]

17. I haven't seen it but I plan to. The sadness won't bother half as much

as my dislike for "avatars, robots, dinosaurs, super heroes or space alien" movies.
Sometimes it seems like the US population never grew out of grade school.

[Elessar Zappa]

18. I like sci-fi, marvel movies, etc.

I also like serious movies, comedies, etc.

[panader0]

19. I read Marvel comics as a kid. Spiderman, the Hulk, etc, etc.

I liked them back then. But sci-fi and comic book movies and zombies and robots are not real,
like our lives here on earth. I like movies that are about real people. I guess I'm just one of those
'bah humbug' old guys now at 72.

[RobinA]

20. My Problem With The Movie

was the lack of context for the characters' actions. I could take the heaviness and did think it had its funny moments, but I didn't get WHY the two main characters, particularly Gleason, were doing what they did. I mean, the man's actions were extreme to say the least. Why? If a man starts cutting parts of his life away, I'm going to need to know what the deal is.

[Solly Mack]

29. It's allegorical. Civil War on the mainland and civil war on the island.

The movie is set during the Irish Civil War (1922-1923) which took place after the Irish War of Independence. During the Civil War people who were friends and brothers-in-arms during the War of Independence became divided between those who supported the brokered peace of Independence but still under the British Empire for now ( w/provisions for full independence at a later date) and those who wanted actual full and total Independence now. (see: Michael Collins, the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the IRA.)

Friends against friends. Brother against brother. Senseless. Violence. Destruction. Death.

On the island of Inisherin, there was another sort of civil war happening between the now former friends of Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and his best friend, Colm (Brendan Gleeson). The Civil War taking place on the mainland was of little concern to the islanders but the civil war between Padraic and Colm was of great importance to them.

This break-up of friendship was happening against the backdrop of the Irish Civil War and if you listen to the dialogue with that in mind, you will see how it plays to both what is happening between the characters on the island and the greater Civil War on the mainland. Even when they are not directly addressing the Civil War, and they do a time or two, the dialogue and the interactions of the islanders still play that way.

Colm cut off his nose to spite his face, more or less. Padraic escalating what he could not accept.

The "Banshee" was Mrs. McCormick and not just of Dominic's turn of event. She speaks about death on the horizon. If you notice in the movie, the most dominant horizon is that of the mainland and the Civil War battles.

The movie was just so incredibly Irish. Wonderfully Irish.

[RobinA]

31. Thank You!

I had read people praising its Irishness, but I am not Irish, so I tend to miss stuff in that vein.

[flying_wahini]

21. I started loving this show but by the time it was halfway done I couldn't stomach it.

Others who have seen it will agree. IMO, it had a Great cast, great direction but subject matter went off the rails.

[Phentex]

26. But still about war. I guess that is real people...

I didn't know what to make of it. I found it very depressing.

[ForgedCrank]

27. This movie

certainly had a very odd mood to it.
The acting and story line kept me watching until the end. It wasn't especially riveting or anything, but it's a good story for reasons I still don't quite understand. It did make me cringe a few times though.

[Auggie]

28. It was well made but what was the point? Just to be outrageous?

It was a waste of two hours, just like Drive My Car was a waste of three.

[yellowdogintexas]

30. a friend's review on Facebook

She is a journalist who wrote for our local paper

Last night I watched "The Banshees of Inisherin," the "comedy/musical" that won a bunch of Golden Globes. Here's my review. SPOILER ALERT!
The setting is gorgeous. The cinematography is amazing. The story, not so much. In essence, it's the story of how one self-absorbed Irishman's need to inflate his ego by leaving an "artistic legacy" with his music causes everyone around him to suffer: his lifelong Best Friend who the Artist imperiously and out-of-the-blue demands never speak to him again because his homely chat distracts the Artist from his Important Work; the entire village which has to witness and deal with the Artist's Angst and the Best Friend's bewildered confusion and resulting anger; and poor sweet innocent Jenny, who is killed by the Artist's grotesque and gruesome gesture meant to shame and punish the Best Friend for pushing back against the Artist's incomprehensible demands.

Why this is classified a comedy/musical baffles me. There are some mildly amusing moments. There's some music played in the local pub. The acting is very good. But this is just another story of men behaving badly and getting away with it because the people around them are enabling them because, well, men.

I think I will pass on this one

[SharonClark]

32. Glad to read the comments here because

the film was definitely promoted as a comedy and it obviously isn’t. I won’t be seeing it.