Plot Summary – On a remote island off the coast of Ireland, Pádraic is devastated when his buddy Colm suddenly puts an end to their lifelong friendship. With help from his sister and a troubled young islander, Pádraic sets out to repair the damaged relationship by any means necessary. However, as Colm’s resolve only strengthens, he soon delivers an ultimatum that leads to shocking consequences.

★★★★★ 

Watched 04 Nov 2022

I had to come out of long review retirement eventually and I’m really glad that this movie is the one I’m doing it for. I’m a huge fan of In Bruges and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, so I was really excited to see what Martin McDonagh was doing next. When it was announced that it will be a project reuniting the duo from In Bruges, Collin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson would be headlining this film, I was brimming with anticipation. All this build-up is to say that my expectations for the film were high, and yet, this film has exceeded every single one. Thirty minutes in, I messaged my friends telling them that this was one of the best comedies of the year. How foolish I was to think that it would be so simple. This film ventures into the darkness further as the minutes go on and it always leaves you shocked by its next step. This film is set on an island off the coast of Ireland, and it is gorgeous. Every shot feels so cinematic and well-composed. The cinematography is so interesting as the frames get darker as the subject matter does. On the outside, this is a film about friendship, but it can be seen as an allegory for so much more. It has parallels to the contemporary Irish Civil War, to the themes of male ego and legacy. It questions what the creation of art means and entails, but it doesn’t do so in a pretentious, self-serious way. It tackles these issues with a relatable sense of humor and by making the characters so sympathetic. This makes it so that between your hearty laughs and once the credits roll, you are left to ponder who was right, who was wrong, and what the message is. That’s the brilliance of this script. This script alone would not make this so phenomenal though, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan, and Kerry Condon are so good in their roles that you forget that these are popular actors. In the company of such talented actors and great performances, it is still Colin Farrell’s that stands out as the protagonist, Padraic. He is having a blockbuster year, he was the best performance in The Batman and I think that his performance here is unparalleled by any actor in 2022. It is so touching and nuanced that even when the character does something that you know is morally wrong, you feel like you should be on his side. Carter Burwell’s score for In Bruges is a very important tune in my day-to-day life as it has become my go-to study soundtrack and even in this aspect I feel like Burwell has outdone himself. His score for Banshees of Inisherin is phenomenal and captures you in this fictional village and will not let you go. If you couldn’t tell, I think that this is the best film I’ve seen in 2022 so far and has entered my Top 20 of all time as well. This will go down as an all-time classic and I highly recommend this film to everyone!