As Summer is winding down, I’m definitely looking forward to Fall movies! Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell reunite in Martin McDonagh‘s The Banshees of Inisherin since In Bruges (2008). I love In Bruges which inspired my trip with my hubby in 2014.
It’s been four years since McDonagh won an Oscar for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in 2018, good to see him do something more indie instead of going the blockbuster route like some hot-shot directors have done. He set the film in the two leads’ home country of Ireland, in a fictitious island called Inisherin.
Set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN follows lifelong friends Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship. A stunned Pádraic, aided by his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) and troubled young islander Dominic (Barry Keoghan), endeavours to repair the relationship, refusing to take no for an answer. But Pádraic’s repeated efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve and when Colm delivers a desperate ultimatum, events swiftly escalate, with shocking consequences.
Everything was fine yesterday… I’m already obsessed with that tagline! I’m not well versed in Irish folklore so the title left me scratching my head… this definition might offer a clue
banshee
: a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose appearance or wailing warns a family that one of them will soon die
Per the Playlist, the film has the backdrop of the Irish civil war of the early 20s and as McDonagh strived for authenticity, the characters speak in the local dialect of that period. It has a personal connection to McDonagh as well as he shot the film on the islands of Inishmore and Achill, near where he grew up and his parents live.
Farrell is on a roll lately as he’s so memorable as the Penguin in The Batman last Spring and I’m about to watch him in Thirteen Lives tonight. He’s such a versatile actor but I love seeing him speak in his native Irish brogue. Gleeson is always wonderful yet so underrated. The other Irish-set film I love him in is The Guard, which was written/directed by Martin’s brother John Michael McDonagh. Great to see this duo back on screen again as they have such a great rapport… even while they’re breaking up, ahah. The film also stars Barry Keoghan who was technically in The Batman as well with Farrell as the Joker.
Can’t wait to see this when it’s released in the US on 21 October.
What do you think of this trailer?
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FlixChatter Film Blog 
This looks interesting as I do like what Martin McDonagh has done (with the exception of Seven Psychopaths as I just didn’t like the way it treated women in that film) as I also heard it had something to do with the Irish Civil War in the 1920s.
I actually haven’t seen Seven Psychopaths yet. Hmmm not sure I wanna see it if it doesn’t treat women as you said though.
It has some good moments and a great performance from Christopher Walken but it’s kind of a mess.
I still need to see ‘Three Billboards’ as well from McDonagh which at least has a female protagonist.
It looks like a dark comedy, will watch it when it hits streaming. Ireland is one of the places I want to visit before I leave this earth.
Yeah same here, Ted. Ireland looks absolutely stunning so it’s always cool to see it being depicted on screen.
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