Oscar winner Martin McDonagh's new directorial work has been nominated in many award circuits and won few already. This time he teams up with his old stars Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell to deliver another master stroke tragicomedy.
The casting is pitch perfect and acting department is flawless. The cinematography stunningly captures the coastal side of Ireland. And i am sure there will be no disagreement to both those aspects from all viewers. Now comes the dividing part, the story, which may not appeal to a large number of people. The plot is ingeniously simple and some may find it absurd and hard to digest. And there lies the beauty of this film.
The setting is Irish civil war period of 1923 and revolves around the lives of people in a sparsely populated Island Inisherin. The film starts off with a usual routine of Colin finishing up his work early and meeting his friend Brendan at 2 pm at a local pub which is place for gossip. They have been in the island for many years and forms a special friendship. The life in the island is boring and its repetitive in nature. Colin get a shock of his life when Brendan says he no longer wants to be friends with him and he dont have a place for dullness in life anymore. The explanation given are funny and you may say what the feck. The desperate and repeated effort by Colin to save the friendship takes drastic turn with lasting consequences. Some of the measures taken may sound little too shocking to comprehend.
The Banshees of Inisherin delivers a measured, layered look at delicate nature of humans. The confrontation between the friends stands as a metaphor for the civil war conflict. There is a connection of impure thoughts one goes through with the female spirit Banshees who is capable of harming enemies. With his trademark handle on dark comedy, director takes us through a different experience this time. It's equally funny and heartbreaking. I wish all the best for the Oscars and Golden Globes. Streaming on Hotstar.
Verdict - 4/5(A darker side of loneliness)