The Banshees Of Inisherin

SouthWesterly · 25-12-2022 8:58pm

I just watched it with the wife. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Drumpot · 25-12-2022 9:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120033622#Comment_120033622

Yeh, samesy

JeffKenna · 25-12-2022 11:43pm

Thought it was a brilliant film. Loved the fact there was no resolution in the final scene between the two characters. Sometimes grudges can last in Ireland while we might not even remember what started them in the first place.

kippy · 25-12-2022 11:50pm

Seems to be more positive reviews on here than the general consensus amongst friends and colleagues over the past week or so.

General consensus that it was basically more suited to a stage rather than film. The acting was good. The story was muck. The scenery was stunning.

People are reading far too much into 'hidden meanings', 'symbolism' etc when it's not there.

Bobeagleburger · 25-12-2022 11:55pm

It was good. Nothing more.

It is definitely over rated imo.

Man Vs ManUre · 26-12-2022 12:04am

I liked it. The acting was great, the 2 main characters, the 2 supporting, even the guard and the old lady, they were all fantastic. My only issue was the ending didn’t go bat sh1t crazy enough. Is there gonna be a sequel??

Mr.Nice Guy · 26-12-2022 5:58pm

I thought it was alright but it didn't blow me away. I do think it's overhyped. Keoghan is excellent though.

saabsaab · 26-12-2022 6:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120033942#Comment_120033942

Yep. Inisherin 2, with extra unfriending.

0ph0rce0 · 26-12-2022 7:02pm

So are they still mates now or what?

saabsaab · 26-12-2022 7:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120033903#Comment_120033903

The best grudges last forever.

StringerBell · 27-12-2022 1:52am

Was very good, the mirroring of the civil war was good too. Some very good performances, one of the better movies I've seen this year in that it actually gave me food for thought after it which is nice.

GiftofGab · 27-12-2022 11:53am

Watched it last night. Thought it was a great movie that captures small island life of the west coast of Ireland.

Loved Dominic. Notice on the first scene Dominic is asking why would be anyone need a hook on a pole. Yet when he committed suicide, he was pulled ashore by the pole and hook. The police officer also said to the lady in the shop that someone else committed suicide earlier by walking into the lake. Its an island where suicide and abuse are rife. The pole must be used quite often.

Dominic and Siobhan were the most intelligent people on the island. Dominic was always giving great advice and even with his "touche" scene showed his intelligent despite his goofy appearance. Siobhan was the voice of reason on the island and the situation got out of control once she left. She begs Paidraig to leave before it's too late. Yet the two most intelligent people either left or died on the island.

Get acting on Coln Farrell's behalf for Paidraig too.

Thought the movie had a lof of depth and the cinematography was incredible.

GiftofGab · 27-12-2022 12:04pm

A poster previously mentioned that sometimes "sometimes grudges can last in Ireland while we might not even remember what started them in the first place". Think this is also very accurate of the movie.

Notice that the movie also takes place during the Irish civil war. People fighting but nobody on the island knows what for. The police officer is also getting paid to either kill (or Bury, I can't remember) someone of the main land but has no idea who or why they are fighting. This is similar to Paidraig and Colms argument when it escalates.

Snake Plisken · 27-12-2022 12:09pm

After watching the disappointment that was Glass Onion, I decided to watch this on Disney and really enjoyed it.I

didn't see it as a comedy as I've seen some reviews call it and saw it more as a tragedy

I think it would have been interesting if McDonagh had shown us the friendship between Pádraig & Colm the day before the ending of the friendship.

Great performances all round besides the two main leads Kerry Condon put in a great performance as Siobhán.

Montage of Feck · 27-12-2022 12:30pm

I left the cinema feeling like it was a bit half cooked. The lead characters were dull and uninteresting, although wasn't that the point, and the plot never had any momentum behind it. Barry Keoghan, who I usually dislike, and Kerry Condon were very good and played the only characters with any depth to them.

one armed dwarf · 27-12-2022 9:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120033916#Comment_120033916

I'm not sure what hidden message you mean (something about the civil war?). But I took it to be about narcissism, and coming to terms with the fact that most people on this earth are destined to be unspectacular in the impact that they make. If Colm had such great artistic ambitions he would take the opportunity to leave when offered rather than fixate on external reasons for his lack of failure.

It's pretty relatable in the sense of how one can sometimes want to explain or justify their failure to launch in a particular area, even if the version of that here is very extreme. It's deliberately exaggerated to make the point more clear imo, the shearing feels purely performative imo, another excuse for being a shite fiddle player.

speedboatchase · 27-12-2022 10:18pm

My take on the Civil War theme:

spoilers

I think that like the Civil War, here you have two people whose refusal to deal with or understand the other leads to a tragic, escalating situation. In the Civil War, the assassination of Michael Collins largely made both sides come to their sense. If Farrell’s decision to burn down Gleeson’s house is a metaphor for that, maybe it explains Gleeson’s desire for peace afterwards. In that sense, Farrel’s decision to cross previously unthinkable lines and his belligerence after doing so likely points to the post-Civil War ideology and tactics of the IRA.

kippy · 27-12-2022 10:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120039015#Comment_120039015

Ah someone mentioned the film showed us how important animals are to us etc and a few more gems as if McDonagh deliberately set out to do that.

Even your own view on Colms artistic ambitions is based on very little. I really don't think McDonagh actually set out with those themes in mind.

Again, I personally think the scenery and locations used in this film would set themselves to a far better story.

That said, again, I appreciate the amount of coverage the locations are getting, two fabulous islands, I would hate to think anyone would think that the dour story line is reflective of island life, even back in the twenties.

one armed dwarf · 27-12-2022 11:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120039082#Comment_120039082

Well, the confession scene singles out pride as a sin that Colm is 'guilty' of but doesn't feel guilt over, and has some vague feelings of despair that's hinted at but not explained. So imo it's a well enough supported interpretation that the character believes he has some greatness in him, but also feels some sort of hopelessness that may or may not be related.

Just in general tho, what do you think the film has as its main theme? What's the subtext behind the plot?

Man Vs ManUre · 28-12-2022 12:52pm

I’ve seen the policeman in a lot of Irish tv. Would he have used a body double for the scene where they took his bottle of poitin?? I mean, his Willy looked so tiny in it, you would want to be content in yourself to put that out there for all to see.

evolvingtipperary101 · 28-12-2022 1:01pm

I liked it. Though, not worth the major hype it's getting. I see one critic wrote, it's a short story trying to be a novel. I'd agree with that. McDonagh's weaknesses have always been bringing up major issues and then running away from dealing with them. He's too dependent on humour and his homour while good is still a removed understanding of Irish humour - running dangerously close to OIRISHness. It's good, but certainly limited.

The Princess Bride · 28-12-2022 5:02pm

https://youtu.be/n_xMyx_SogA

For those of you who haven't seen McDonagh's award winning Six Shooter.

FlubberJones · 28-12-2022 5:12pm

Watched the other night, not bad at all, the hype behind it was surprising though as I don't believe it was warranted...

That dour Island life looked awful though and it would of driven me mad..

Mr.Nice Guy · 28-12-2022 9:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120039079#Comment_120039079

Didn't Collins' death lead to an increase in violence?

saabsaab · 28-12-2022 9:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120041133#Comment_120041133

I'd think I'd love that life. No complication no mainland problems.

NIMAN · 28-12-2022 10:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120039079#Comment_120039079

Not sure how you seen all that in the film at all.

saabsaab · 29-12-2022 3:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120042112#Comment_120042112

I think he is right especially with the timing.

Cluedo Monopoly · 29-12-2022 3:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120033916#Comment_120033916

I did feel I was watching a play on the big screen. The storyline was too daft for it to work. Especially the finger removal bits. I might watch it again some day but I doubt it.

evolvingtipperary101 · 29-12-2022 6:03pm

I think in order for symbolism and metaphors to work, the writer/director has to be very subtle. Subtle is not a word you could use on this film. Civil War meanings for the film fall flat for me.

I can't jump in on the love-in for Barry K, I think like a lot of young actors he overacts. He is very talented and I did enjoy his screen time at times. But I thought there were a lot better performances from the leads. I thought Kerry Condon acted the young Barry off the screen. Just my opinion though.

pixelburp · 29-12-2022 10:15pm

I really enjoyed this, far more than I anticipated. Just a smattering of jet-black humour over what was, in actuality, a very dark and morbid tale of unchecked despair. A big, performative and selfish existential crisis from a (probably) mediocre musician, suddenly scared of death and a lack of legacy - lashing out against the one man who tolerated his grumbling hubris. Though even that man himself was no saint: someone who kept talking about being "nice" and a "good guy" (bit of an anachronistic use of language there IMO), when his actions instead showed him as mean-spirited as his former friend. Worse in that he completely brushed off his own sister's concerns and malaise, too focused on his own limited perspective.

It did somewhat plough that typical furrow in Irish fiction where the central conflict came down to all parties having emotional constipation; that inability to express their thoughts in a healthy manner - with Kerry Condon's sister the perfectly placed character to see exactly what the problem was; but despite possessing the emotional range to diagnose the disease, even she couldn't reach the quarrelling men. If everyone just talked, honestly and openly, maybe something good could come of things.

Or. It was all just a simple allegory of the Irish Civil War, and the pointlessness of that feud between friends, family, countrymen after a life lived with shared purpose. If this film has legs, it might be that flexibility within how the viewer chooses to read the central pillar of the thing. It's all valid, the film invited that kind of exacting view.

Without thinking too hard on things, I also reckon this was McDonagh's first properly cinematic film: there were some hauntingly beautiful compositions and use of the visual form - even if structurally, the film often betrayed its creator's background as a playwright; with many scenes bookended by literal entrances and exists as you would see on stage, characters simply walking in and out of rooms. Mind you, given the locations involved, it probably would have taken more effort for the end-result not to have been as atmospheric as it looked.

The Banshees Of Inisherin

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