A ark Irish comedy is always full of laughs, whether you get the humor or not. It’s the best kind of humor because even in tragedy, you can find humor to lighten the mood. The Banshees of Inisherin is the perfect dark Irish comedy. And it’s in this film that Brendan Gleason and Colin Farrell are at their best. Directed by Martin McDonagh, who directed the two Irish stars in a film called In Bruges makes another great film with Gleason and Farrell. Like many of his stories, there’s a lot of emotional sensibilities and humor lying beneath the film’s main theme of tragedy. The characters are very flawed and insecure, which truly shows their humanity, but It shows their beauty. The story is about two friends who have the same routine every day in a small Irish village until one day one of the friends decides he’s wasting his life and doesn’t like the man who used to be his best friend. This shakes up the small Irish village and breaks up the routine and monotony. The friend who is being shunned and played by Colin Farrell can’t understand why he’s being shunned so ensues, one tragic circumstance after another until the main characters come to terms with who they really are.
On the surface, this film seems very light-hearted, but beneath the surface, we see the tragic sensibilities of the main characters where one wants more out of life than the other doesn’t. They are bound to each other through friendship and in the end, realize that their connection will never change. What really makes this film endearing is the comedy behind the two friends fighting and the one who is doing the shunning while getting the entire village in a tizzy. Mixing the story with a little Irish folklore about spiritual signs and death and you’ve got a great dark comedy. Everybody is fantastic in the film, but it is Brendan Gleason and Colin Farrell, who truly make this film worth watching. As I watched the film, I swear. , the conversation between the two main characters are the same conversations I’ve heard in Irish pubs before…. especially the drunken conversations.
The film is a great study of human nature, the part of ourselves that is satisfied with the way life is and the part of ourselves that always wants more. The two main characters represent duality and human nature. As you can see it’s more than just two friends fighting. But the film is a beautiful, haunting portrait of humanity. In a lot of ways, you feel as if you’re watching an Oscar Wilde story. What really adds to the film is also this beautiful scenery where the small Irish village is a character unto itself. It’s a place locked away from the rest of the world’s problems, where it’s inhabitants only have each other and are connected by their tragic relationships. The film will keep you laughing despite it’s theme.
Honestly, there is not much to complain about with this film. I loved it very much. But I don’t think it’s absolutely perfect. It isn’t a film without its problems. I do complain about the pacing a little bit and drawing out scenes for dramatic effect. Sometimes the stillness and sometimes it’s not. The films don’t always need scenes where nothing is really going on in an attempt to build up the intensity to a great dramatic scene. I felt there were a few scenes that made this film longer than it should have been. And sometimes there are unnecessary characters that are used to drive the plot. However, despite some minor criticisms, everything comes together to make it a very wonderful film with two great performances by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason. The film is a portrait of our tragic flaws as human beings and shows how even the darkest comedy can have a lighter mood and even change our perception for the better. The local pub is the epicenter of this community just like in all Irish communities and the film perfectly portrays all the human interactions that happen in a pub. The film shows the ultimate truth of how we need to be connected to one another in a community and we can’t escape connection. But despite the film’s dark theme, comedy among all of the characters within this village will keep you laughing and make you realize that no matter what part of the world we’re in, we’re all the same. It’s A beautiful film. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason are at the top of their game and definitely have great chemistry together. That’s what makes this film almost perfect!
