The Banshees Of Inisherin

cdgalwegian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120312787#Comment_120312787

Oo-err. 😳

That puts a different spin on it. 🤣

McDonagh sure brings the sentiments of a play to it. Well, as Samuel L. Jackson says in 'The Long Kiss Goodnight', " Everybody knows, when you make an assumption, you make an ass out of you and umption".

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120312858#Comment_120312858

I think you can tell it's written by someone who writes plays, for better or worse. But it's nominated in Best Original Screenplay at all the awards, so definitely an original work, not an adaptation. Although it's entirely possible it was originally conceived as a play.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120312787#Comment_120312787

I can see why some might mistake it for one though. All McDonaghs films have had a stagey quality to them all, theatrical in spirit or structure rather than performance. Banshees was noisier than the others IMO. The scenery adding grandeur to what was a sequence of character entrances and exists, dialogue as plot momentum, etc

sporina

maybe the pandemic influenced the "play like" feeling.. being limited in what they could do etc.. silver lining for me - love his plays - more than his movies tbh

Caquas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120236843#Comment_120236843

Serious and slow-paced???

Don’t you mean lurid, absurd, brutal and jolting? Self-mutilation, beatings, drownings, child abuse and arson may not be enough for a jaded palette!

An Cailín Ciuin is serious and slow-paced. It is the opposite of Banshees in pacing and tone. And it is the most successful film ever made as Gaeilge. So much for your thesis about the modern audience.

Of course, the album format is obsolescent but what was superior about 20 minutes of music? Imagine going to a concert which lasts 40 minutes with a short break in the middle while the musicians turn around. 😂

I could empathise with someone having a midlife crisis wanting to distance themselves from a friend who has nothing to offer. But Colm’s actions are bizarre and unhinged. Then Padraic joins in the fun. 😫

Can we agree that his sister is the only sane person on the island? And the only sensible reaction is to get the next boat off that island. I’d take my chances with the Civil War rather than spend a night on Inisheerin.

saabsaab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120317261#Comment_120317261

I don't know. I think I'd be happy to live in such a place with my sheepdog, a few pints doing some fishing and shooting.

Caquas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120317737#Comment_120317737

Yeah, it would be lovely except for the natives as portrayed by Martin McDonagh.

Achill is gearing up for a tourism boom on the back of Banshees. They’d be well advised to say the film was shot there but that Inisheerin in one of the Aran Islands.😍

The cinematography in Banshees is OK but won’t win any prizes.

JP Liz V1

https://youtu.be/kXWwnAxc92A

They do seem like great mates

saabsaab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120322273#Comment_120322273

That was taken before they fell out!

Beechwoodspark

It’s mad how many ppl have told me they really disliked this film

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120322273#Comment_120322273

Mario Rosenstock (gift grub) did a great sketch on this at his show the other night - lol "i respect you so much - no I respect you more" repeat lol

squidgainz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120339166#Comment_120339166

Why's that mad?

Beechwoodspark

After all the way over the top hype and acclaimed praise of banshees - particularly from RTÉ - I watched it and for the life of me I couldn’t understand all the huge acclaim the Irish media were lavishing on it. 

a big budget episode of killinascully sums it up.

or as a friend described it “plastic paddy Wetherspoons Beckett rubbish”

no doubt RTÉ will spend weeks now mourning the fact that the Oscars didn’t shower them with those little golden boyos

Flaneur OBrien

I watched it yesterday, and I honestly don't see what the fuss was about at all. It's a well made, polished film, but that's it. There's nothing new, or challenging about it. I doubt we'll be talking about in 5 years or more.

It's no Cailin ciuin, now that was a superb film.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120351974#Comment_120351974

But sure that's no surprise.

The Irish media always hype up any auld s**te that gets within an asses roar of international acclaim.

On the movie itself I thought it was decent enough.

sonofenoch

Thought it was alright nothing more, but just struck me as a film made with awards in mind rather than telling a great story or making a great film

ie a bit pretentious over the top Oirish the yanks would lap up

Call me Al

I think it had incredible stories interwoven throughout.

Friendships and the work needed to keep them, depression, mental illness, loneliness.

And I thought it was a thing of beauty.

Everything Everywhere.. won best film. I saw it, thought it was OK, but honestly the plotline was all quite rubbish. 7 Oscars though??

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120352331#Comment_120352331

Funnily enough, I loved "Everything, everywhere..." About time such an imaginative film was so respected and rewarded.

It's funny to look back at the original 2 star review from the Guardian. They got that one wrong, badly.

Back to Banshees, and yeah, there was some stories, but the film just scratched the surface of them all. There was no digging, no investigation, far too many questions remained.

Why wasn't the sister married? There had to be some reason. This was around 1920's, I doubt she would have had much choice who she was to wed.

It also felt completely out of character for her to leave the brother like that. There was nothing that we saw from her POV to lead to such a momentous decision.

Why did the young fella kill himself? That went nowhere

Why did the incest storyline not go anywhere?

Why did no one think of getting a doctor to see Colm? If not for the manky stumps that would have got infected, but for his mental state.

Why scratch the surface of a gay priest?

I don't know, but it was like McDonagh wanted to make a movie that explored more and dug deeper, but he needed someone to say enough is enough with the storylines, or else it'll be 4 hours long.

JP Liz V1

It has gathered critical acclaim worldwide

I doubt McD himself or the cast expected it to do this well when making

tobefrank321

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120352992#Comment_120352992

Critical acclaim worldwide? The Field which many people consider the greatest ever Irish movie (myself included followed closely by Brooklyn) receives a score of 43% from professional critics on rottentomatoes and 82% from audiences. Banshees receives 96% from professional critics and 75% from audiences.

Modern professional critics are a joke, almost a big a joke as the Oscars have become.

It is interesting though that audiences prefer The Field over Banshees.

farmingquestion

I watched this film at Christmas and I couldn't even finish it, it was that bad.

I can't believe the praise it receives.

It seems it's just a movie made for American audiences that find begorrah! type language interesting and like the scenery. It's like a shite modern version of The Field.

"Ah g'wan sure, hit em wit the stick like"

"Why didn't ya come with me...I just don't like ya anymore!"

Cindy from Ohio: Oh those Irish guys are so awesome!! He chops off his fingers to stop his friend coming to see him. Crazy dudes!"

MattressRick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120352852#Comment_120352852

The young lad killed himself I'm assuming because it was announced in the packed pub that his father was abusing him, or something along those lines.

Is this the incest you're referring to? If so I don't think it needed to be delved into further.

MattressRick

I never thought for a second after watching it that it'd get any nominations for awards, but I guess when the nominations were announced the only name that I thought deserved it in the end was Barry Keoghan.

It's a film I thought was too Oirish. And to me its a film I'd never seek out and turn on again from the start on Disney, which made all the nominations a big surprise.

Still, I'm sure there's a lot of huge disappointment, maybe devastation, to not come away with 1 Oscar after how many nominations, 9?

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120353258#Comment_120353258

Yeah, that's it. It would be nice to know the pr*ck of a Da got what was coming to him. That whole storyline was thrown away, and in the end unnecessary. It would have done with just the physical abuse at home, coupled with Siobhan's rejection. I'm sure enough men have killed themselves over less.

pixelburp

Thing is, none of the storylines were resolved, not in any clean or satisfactory way - and that was somewhat the point. Perhaps the closest we got to closure was the sister leaving the island and finally spreading her wings; but even that was an open horizon and uncertain future. The central conflict itself went unresolved, the pendulum now swinging towards Pádraic embracing his darker side and noting how things weren't finished. Maybe, ultimately, that was Colm's selfish desire; to stave off his depression and existential angst by turning his friend into an enemy. As he remarked, he kinda liked this meaner version of Pádraic.

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120353354#Comment_120353354

thankfully Martin McD invites us to think for ourselves.. #longlivethearts

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120353354#Comment_120353354

Maybe. I hope it doesnt catch on as a storytelling device. I like resolutions of some description. It's an artform in itself. This just ended with nothing to show for it.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120353724#Comment_120353724

I don't have a problem with open ended stories, in fact I think they're often more realistic than ones that try to shoehorn in some kind of unearned resolution. My issue with the open-ness of Banshees was it didn't feel like something that arose naturally in all of the plots. Colm and Pauric being unable to wrap things up neatly felt pretty believable to me. Can't say I had an issue with that. But for a lot of it, it felt very much like McD wanted to raise some questions but had no interest in answering most of them.

brokenbad

Thought TBOI was overrated to be honest - certainly would not have put it anywhere near Oscar winning territory and was very surprised with all the nominations. Its one of those movies you will only only watch the once and then forget about it.

tobefrank321

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120353919#Comment_120353919

It also wasn't credible that they were friends in the first place, as they are completely different with different interests and outlook on life. They have nothing in common, so its hard to buy into the fact they were ever friends. Even one scene early on showing their friendship might have helped, rather than taking it for granted they were friends. The character development, story arc, etc were all missing.