Two lifelong friends inexplicably begin feuding in The Banshees of Inisherin. In 1923, on the island of Inisherin, just off Ireland’s west coast, Pádraic (Collin Farrell) visits the home of his best friend Colm (Brendan Gleeson) for their daily trip to the pub. However, Pádraic is shocked to find Colm ignoring him and is later told that Colm doesn’t like him anymore. Unwilling to end this lifelong friendship, Pádraic keeps trying to communicate with Colm, who eventually gives a gruesome ultimatum about not nothing him anymore.
The Banshees of Inisherin is the latest film by writer/director Martin McDonagh. It reunites Collin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson nearly 15 years after they starred together in McDonagh’s 2008 breakthrough film In Bruges. The Banshees of Inisherin stars Collin Farrell as Pádraic, who lives on a farm with his sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) and is shocked when his best friend Colm suddenly wants to end their friendship and focus on writing fiddle music. Pádraic’s only other friend on the island is Dominic (Barry Keoghan), a young man who is frequently the victim of abuse by his policeman father.
Like Collin Farell and Brendan Gleeson’s first collaboration with Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin is a pitch-black dramedy that isn’t afraid to go to some pretty dark places. It is never fully explained why Colm decides to stop liking Pádraic literally overnight, but the feud between the two of them escalates to some significant extremes. Overall, fans of In Bruges and Martin McDonagh’s brand of dark humour should find plenty to like with The Banshees of Inisherin.