The Banshees Of Inisherin (2022) Dir: Martin McDonagh
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A lot of Oscar buzz has surrounded this Irish comedy drama, which naturally peaked my curiosity and, inevitably, my skepticism. It having arrived onto Disney Plus, this felt like the perfect opportunity to see if these murmours had any substance to them, at least in my estimations.
With Martin McDonagh directing and writing, the film was already off to a good start, the man having directed one of the best films I've seen in 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' in 2017. Sure enough, this was a well written and curated story which is both bleak and clever.
Accompanied by the simple yet, incredibly effective cinematography of Ben Davis, as well as a remarkably on theme soundtrack composed by Carter Burwell, McDonagh tells a gloomy tale of discourse with a surreal twist.
It's the kind of tale that feels perfect for the stage, which is understandable considering McDonagh himself is a playwright.
Colin Farrell puts in arguably his best career performance, with his witty delivery and ability to convey genuine emotion being key to the success of the narrative.
Opposite him stars Brendan Gleeson, who admittedly I am not too familiar with. He plays his character's sullen despair to perfection. In many respects he could have overplayed this part, but he worked within the confines of his character brilliantly.
Kerry Condon is another who put in an excellent performance in a key role. I particularly enjoyed her portrayal of anger and irritability - especially when working with the next man I'll mention.
Barry Keoghan uses his physical acting so well that you could be forgiven for thinking he was born with those mannerisms. I really enjoyed the endearing nature he brought to his character's persona.
I also want to mention some of those with minor roles who were definitely deserving of note, those being; Sheila Flitton, Gary Lydon, Pat Shortt and in particular David Pearce, whose scenes with Gleeson were brilliantly acted.
Overall, this may not be the most flashy film, but the excellent writing and clever humour means that, in spite of the darker themes of the narrative, this is still a very enjoyable film with plenty of comedic moments to lighten the mood.
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