The Banshees of Inisherin: The Best Film of 2022
Concluding Thoughts
The Banshees of Inisherin is a masterpiece. This should win Best Picture for 2022. There is no film this year that even comes close. From start to finish, the movie keeps your attention. I recommend you watch this film as soon as possible. The film resonates with me a lot. It touches on an essential idea that many people overlook, the idea that people you love the most and are closest to can and will waste your time and hold you back. We can see this through Colm cutting ties with Pádraic because he wants to be remembered, and we see this through Siobhán leaving Pádraic, her brother whom she loves because he is holding her back. These people are not wrong for doing this to Pádraic, and he knows it. That is why he responds with the weak argument of “it is not nice,” and the people of Inisherin agree with him. However, sometimes you have to not care what other people think, even if they are important to you, live life for yourself, follow your dreams, take responsibility for your actions, and live life without guilt or regret for the people you leave behind.
Spoilers ahead
Overview
The film follows the journey of two men on a fictional island, Inisherin, off the west coast of Ireland. Pádraic Súilleabháin and Colm Doherty are best friends until Colm decides to end the friendship. Initially, Pádraic chalks it up to him having an off day and later believes it to be an April fool’s joke since it has just turned April. However, Colm stays firm in his conviction to no longer be friends with Pádraic and states he is tired of wasting his life talking about mindless things. He wants to be remembered like Beethoven and Mozart. Inisherin is a small island, so it is not easy to end friendships because there is not much to do. After Pádraic keeps harassing his former friend, Colm tells him he will cut off a finger whenever he bothers him. Pádraic heeds this warning for some time, opting to befriend a man named Dominic Kearney, who is seen as the boisterous town fool. This silence does not last, and Pádraic talks to Colm again. Colm sometime later cuts off his finger and throws it at Pádraic’s door. Siobhán Súilleabháin is a bright young girl bearing witness to her brother’s petty rivalry and is Dominic’s love interest. Pádraic keeps bothering Colm, and he cuts off the four remaining fingers on his left hand. Fed up and wanting to see what the world has to offer, Siobhán leaves the island for the mainland, leaving her brother alone. Pádraic arrives home after seeing his sister off and comes back to find his donkey, Jenney, the only thing he has left on the island, dead, having choked on one of Colm’s fingers he threw at the door. Pádraic is fed up. He no longer wants to be friends with Colm. All he wants is vengeance. He storms down to their local pub and tells Colm he is going to burn his house down tomorrow morning. The following day after church, Pádraic gets kindling, gasoline, and lanterns and sets them alight, burning down his former best friend’s house with him inside. The film ends with Pádraic playing with Colm’s Border Collie until it dashes off to his owner. The two men stand on the beach and decide to not being friends is best, and the score is not settled.
Themes
The three themes in The Banshees of Inisherin are regret, guilt, and self-responsibility. Regret and guilt are explored mutually through Colm. He feels regretful and guilty for not living his life to its fullest and decides to right his previous wrongs by composing music so he will be remembered. The conclusion here is akin to “when I die, will the world be a worse place had I not existed.” What is so moving about this is that Siobhán acts as Colm’s foil. Siobhán did what he did not and left young to explore the world and make something of herself. She knew she would have regret and guilt if she did not leave her brother for the mainland. She sees Colm’s despair and the lengths he is willing to go to recapture the time he has lost and does not want to mirror his mistakes. Peader Kearney, Inisherin’s policeman, feels regretful and guilty because of his son Dominic’s suicide. The viewer can see this because of the look on his face when he finds him floating in the water. Had he not abused his son and given him the time and attention to be socially intelligent and book smart, he would not have died. Maybe Siobhán would have been attracted to him despite his age if he was not creepy in conversation and was noticeably more intelligent than most people on the island.
Self-responsibility is prominent throughout the film. Colm takes responsibility for his actions. This is seen in the scenes where he is in confession. Although the priest advises against his actions and calls them unkind and sinful, he stands by his decision. The same cannot be said for Pádraic. He takes no responsibility during the entire film. He is content with who he is. He likes being the funny and kind person of Inisherin, even if that means he is dull. Instead of taking an introspective look at himself and realizing that Colm has a point and is allowed to not be friends with him because of his stated reasons, he decides to harass Colm until he has to go to drastic lengths to block him out of his life. Jenny dies because she chokes on one of Colm’s fingers. Pádraic, of course, blames this on Colm and not himself. However, Pádraic was the one to kill Jenny. If he had listened to his former friend, he would not have cut off his fingers, and they would have never been thrown at the door. He knew what would happen if he kept bothering him and learned from the first finger that Colm would walk up to his house and throw them at his door. Despite knowing all this, he keeps harassing him, leading to his donkey dying. It is the idea that not respecting other people’s wishes leads to hardship for the person who wishes to be left alone and trouble for the person the request is directed toward and those around them. This could have all been prevented if Pádraic took self-responsibility and decided to change for the better so Colm would like him or decide he likes who he is, which is respectable, and decides if Colm does not like him for him, then he does not need him as a friend. He cannot have his cake and eat it too.
Symbolism
There are two primary sources of symbolism in The Banshees of Inisherin, the first being Colm’s fingers. His fingers symbolize his potential for greatness. His fingers allow him to play music, which is why he says he will cut them off if Pádraic does not leave him alone. The threat was meant to test his once best friend’s character. If he keeps harassing him, knowing that he will cut off one of his fingers each time, thus killing his dreams of greatness, he is not a friend worth having. The ironic thing about Pádraic’s attempts to be friends with Colm again is that his actions prove precisely why Colm should not and does not want to be friends with him anymore. Who would want to be friends with someone that will force you to keep your word and cut off your fingers, ruining one of the only things that keep you happy and is the only thing that will allow you to achieve your desire for greatness?
The second source of symbolism is the Irish Civil War. It is symbolic of the war between Pádraic and Colm. A civil war is the epitome of infighting and mirrors the infighting between these former friends. The scenes where an explosion goes off in the distance or the characters talk about the paper saying the war is soon over, keeps the setting in which the film takes place relevant. A small but significant detail is that the characters mention that the war may soon be over. This is brought up near the film’s end, solidifying that the civil war mirrors the conflict between Pádraic and Colm. Much like the Irish Civil War’s effect on its people, Pádraic and Colm are worse because of their fighting. Pádraic loses his donkey, and Colm loses his fingers and house.
Acting
I love the acting in this film. Colin Farrell as Pádraic Súilleabháin was a fantastic performance. His scenes were moving, and the scenes where he is supposed to be funny by in large land well and made me chuckle. Brendan Gleeson as Colm Doherty was one of the year’s best, if not the best, performances. He is stoic and serious throughout the film, and you can feel the air in whatever room these two are in thicken, primarily because of Brendan’s performance. Kerry Condon as Siobhán Súilleabháin was very good. She was likeable and had some funny and profound dialogue that was delivered well. Barry Keoghan as Dominic Kearney was a convincing performance. Dominic, as a character, is extraordinarily unlikeable, but the film manages to make you feel sympathy for him by the end. The rest of the characters were minor but gave substance to the film, and all gave good performances. I believe an underrated part of the film is the animals. The scenes where Jenny is trying to get into the house are funny. Additionally, Colm’s Border Collie was so loveable, and the scene where he grabs the shears and takes them outside because he knows his owner will cut off his fingers made me audibly laugh. Furthermore, when Pádraic enters Colm’s house at night and sits down next to the dog, the face the dog gives him of “you should not be here, but I like you, so stay” is charming. All actors, including the adorable animals, should be very proud of their performances.
Cinematography
The cinematography in this film is gorgeous. The wide aerial shots used to depict the emptiness of the island were stunning. The movie looks like a painting much of the time, and I never got sick of it. Close-up shots are used effectively to highlight the emotions on the characters’ faces and were implemented well. It is vital in films like this to have effective vehicles for conveying emotion; the go-to for many directors is close-ups. They are not overused in this film, and when used, they have a noticeable impact on the weight of the scene. Martin McDonagh and Ben Davis did a great job.
Music
The soundtrack in this film is like no other I have seen this year. Unfortunately, I cannot say the music is perfectly thematic because even though it feels Irish, some of the songs played are Bulgarian, like at the beginning of the film, where Pádraic is seen walking to Colm’s house. Nevertheless, the choice of music made for a better, more enjoyable viewing experience. The sound was also good. I particularly liked the scenes where the water is crashing against the rocks of the island and the use of silence to convey a scene’s gravity.
