THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN - Movie Review

The war backdrop as a framing device is more than a burden weighing on them, a device connecting the characters to a sense of existential dread. We are told this is the Irish civil war which is a war fought between two former allies, two sides that were united fighting the English a year earlier and are now at war with each other. This mirrors the relationship of the two main characters.

I saw the underlying message about the film not as death but finding purpose in life. The policeman sees no purpose in it, his son thought finding love was our purpose, our hero thinks existence doesn’t need a purpose, his friend see accomplishment as purpose, his sister sees progress as purpose. That being said, I enjoyed listening you talk about a lot of the things that I hadn’t considered after I finished watching it. Thank you.

As an Irish person i see the war metaphor differently, it was the Irish civil war. Which came just after we won partial independence from British rule.. So the same men who fought together for independence were now killing and hurting each other. I see that in the two main characters of this moving.. gleesons character cutting his own fingers off, to me, thats a strong metaphor for Irish killing each other which is ultimately hurting themselves and in the end nobody wins. Also while they were feuding they still had to live in the same place aswell as deep down, still caring for each other. that's what alot of the Irish soldiers went through during the needless civil war of 1923.

The Irish civil war ripped families and friends apart. Straight after the war with Britain was won. I found it haunting hearing the gunfire in the background.

I really enjoyed this film. What struck me is that Colm seems resentful toward Padriach for being so content with his simple and "dull" life. He can't grasp why anyone would be ok with not leaving a legacy but doesn't see that Padriach's legacy is spending time with those he cares about. Those are the only people he cares about being remembered by.

Spoilers: I agree it’s about humanity with strong tones about war and how we treat each other, and how out of pettiness we cut off our nose to spite ones face, or feel more comfort with anger than with depression. I also noticed how they made sadness or loneliness almost a taboo discussion. He scoffs when asked about loneliness not knowing she was asking for herself mainly, and colm has to go in private to a priest to talk about despair. Siobhan shows a lot of emotion when she feels teased about not being married or no one liking her but at the same time sees Dominic as a pity in his attempts to woo her. The old lady seems to be a blatant symbol of our own dark thoughts of suicide, sadness, and anger. When Padraic and Siobhan try to avoid or literally “hide” from her it’s symbolizing them trying to avoid those dark thoughts

This film is definitely my favorite of the year so far. It’s dark, yet subtly comical, but never in a way that’s distracting or out of place. It’s a movie that feels real and tragic. It impacted me emotionally and intriguingly. 10/10

The old woman in this film is the aesthetic I’m going to go for in my sunset years

I love your discussion on the film. I felt the most affected by the juxtaposition of mentalities between the 2 leads: Colm is in desperation to validate his life through the leaving of a legacy, which he has limited time to do as he believes he has wasted most of it in “pointless chatter,” and this consumes him to the point of depression. While Pàdraic is content with his simple life surrounded by friends and family, but I think it’s this constant presence of loved ones that has provided him a distraction to never have to face the despair that his older friend is feeling, I think this is emphasized first when he dismissively chuckles when his sister asks if he “ever feel’s lonely?” At the end of the movie, Colm seems to have accepted his position in life, and Pàdraic is just beginning to ponder it for the first time in his life.

The war is symbolic of their relationships - families and a people turned against each other and not really knowing why.

Great review as usual! All I would take issue with is that I found the war in the background device very effective for tension, particularly because we do know generally why they’re fighting. Gleeson’s character mentions that it’s a civil war, as opposed to when they used to fight the English. For me it’s clearly the Irish civil war, which I think really serves the conflict well as it’s conflict between longtime friends, not traditional enemies.

I finally saw this after seeing your review a while ago, and I'm happy I did. Your review is spot on in so many ways, and I say this as someone with a personal connection: my great-uncle was killed in Ireland aged eighteen only a couple of years before when the movie is set, and I've always felt the contradictions of that time period, a century ago. Reflecting on the film afterward, I recalled a quote by the Irish poet W. B. Yeats, which almost summarizes The Banshees of Inisherin: "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy."

Collin Farrell's performance in IN BRUGES put me in mind, very much, of the character of Dougal in FATHER TED. At times, I found their mannerisms indistinguishable. My sister thought the same. I only mention it in passing.

The 4 fingers he cuts off are symbolic of the 4 provinces of Ireland the war was fought over. The old woman wasn't just a propheciser of doom, she was representative of the spirit of Britain watching and encouraging Ireland to turn on each other. The killing of the donkey was the killing of irelands innocence. And the final moment on the beach where Colin farrel responds to gleessons apology with "I don't fucking care" was a punch line set up throughout the film by the constant use of the word "feckin" as a more polite way of saying fucking. The fact he said fucking at the end showed that he truly no longer gave a fuck and was ready for all out war. Symbolic of how Ireland had been made to feel by the British and then by each other. No more being nice, no more friends, nothing. Just ready for whatever.

The magical atmosphere, existential meditation, and layered characterization really reminded me of one of my favorite films, The Assassination of Jesse James.. (the sublime music and photography also helped!!)

Beautiful review but I can't believe you didn't mention wee Jenny....🐎💔 So now my heart yearns for a miniature donkey.

Thoughtful review. I'm happy to see people remark on how much depth a simple story like this can have.

I just saw this film today, and I loved it for the most part. It definitely felt even more effective as I left, thinking about all of the friendships of mine that ended because certain things were happening in the world and we just grew apart. I was certainly laughing, but felt the characters longing for more as it went along. My favorite character was certainly Siobhan, the sister. She's an excellent center voice within the story. She had such a strong presence, and she was the one I was genuinely happy for in the end.

As someone who lost their best friend in a similar way (minus the fingers) this movie broke me.

Well it was the Irish Civil War so when you understand the contacts I think it does have a reflection on the characters