The Banshees of Inisherin

I liked this a lot. Reminded me a bit of Three Colors: White and also of Bresson.

I didn't dislike it all -- I found it unmemorable except for Colin Farrell's double takes and his chemistry with Brendan Gleason.

*at all

this is incredible and deserves a thread

I thought this movie fucking sucked.

Oh, great, now what do we do?

and his imaginary bread van xp

i dunno, maybe i didn't dislike it so much as it disappointed me? i was hoping for more. Found the story pat, the characterizations wonderfully realized but not particularly three dimensional and the direction intrusive and showy.

I’ve enjoyed Colin Farrell in Minority Report and in In Bruges but otherwise find myself allergic to him… haven’t made it more than 30 minutes into The New World, enjoyed Killing Of A Sacred Deer despite his presence, skipped The Lobster

That said there’s nothing I like more tho when I have the feeling of “coming around” to an actor who I previously disenjoyed (Nicole Kidman in To Die For broke my bias toward her and now I love her in everything). Hoping this movie does the same for me re Colin Farrell, ?

Yeah very interested to hear what you think, fgti!

funny to have Farrell recognisable at the moment isn't it. Last few things I've seen him in he seems to be intentionally trying to disguise himself.

He's also solid in the new After Yang.

Yeah I'm hoping I come around to Mr. Farrell and I'm going to watch this tonight. It really sucks to feel like I can't watch The New World because I just dislike his face in my eyeballs so much

There aren't many actors I feel this aversion toward, Gabriel Byrne and Stephen Rea are two others that spring to mind (so maybe I just like my Irish actors all silly-cheekbones like Barry Keoghan and Cillian Murphy)

Well I’ve got good news for you about the rest of the cast

I think it’s now past time to admit that Farrell is very good.

God knows I've tried to like Liam Neeson.

I was probably already a Farrell follower leading into it, but his take on Fright Night made me a forever fan.

In defence of Farrell, even if I don’t enjoy watching him act, he is v much a ride

and, I must say, he's gotten handsomer as he's aged.

He's outrageously pretty. I think that sometimes works against him.

He's powdery and almost feminine in After Yang, a mode I've never seen him in and it suits him.

I think he's almost always good, and for such a pretty guy his performances have no discernible vanity.

^otm

it wasn't an aversion to the Irish Kevin Webster that put me off this movie before I'd even watched it, it's McDonagh who put me off watching because normally I can't even get to the end of his movies I hate them that much.

Isn't Bobby Gillespie in danger of being typecast

Well I loved this. Colin Farrell’s performance was just wonderful tbh!!

From wiki, quoting Guy Lodge writing for Variety: “What begins as a doleful, anecdotal narrative becomes something closer to mythic in its rage and resonance: McDonagh has long fixated on the most visceral, vengeful extremes of human behavior, but never has he formed something this sorely heartbroken from that fascination.”

That’s a good description. The confrontation in the pub where he’s talking about everyone he’ll remember and all this hurt emerging has really stuck with me.

I'm curious as to why McDonagh titled two of his plays after two of the three Aran Islands but then set this film on a fictional island instead of setting it on the third of them

I thought this movie was great. Loved the humour.
I’m not really into film theory etc like some others here - but I though there was something to the sympathetic way Padraic treated creatures like his animals and Dominic vs how he was treated by Colm and the police officer etc. Maybe he just had a greater need for companionship and would tolerate a lot more than most of the other people. (Shrug emoji)

I'm curious as to why McDonagh titled two of his plays after two of the three Aran Islands but then set this film on a fictional island instead of setting it on the third of them

Ohhhhhh that is clever and I didn't catch that

Or you know, what I said above more coherently (I don’t blame you for scrolling through previous posts)

the line from this that’s sticking with me is when the pub owner tells padraic that he’s “one of life’s good guys”

Yeah. So many small memorable moments in this like that.

Oh yeah, I didn’t actually write about the two main characters.

Pádraic is brilliant and tragic and Farrell sells the role so much. I found it hard to laugh much at him despite the obvious comedic aspects to the character - all the scenes with Jenny (the donkey) in the house are far less “haha, the big eejit” when he’s living by himself with the cow and the pony.

Obviously the confrontation in the pub is the best scene but quite honestly he shines in every scene with everyone! When he says about burning down the house with all that hurt and pride and just faith in this obviously mad thing to do - so great.

Colm is such an interesting character. I really enjoyed the confession scenes with the priest, just great contrast in their temperaments, but somehow they seem more suited as friends than Colm and Pádraic.

But then again, Colm spends the whole film pulling away from what seems to have been the main relationship in his life, so you never see them interact during better times. You do get reflections of what their friendship must have been like: the boring chat, the honesty, the fact that Colm still listens to Pádraic and appears to agree with him even when Pádraic confronts him in the village pub in front of everyone they know.

Colm sitting with the Garda and laughing seems to Pádraic like he is flaunting it, like, I’d rather be friends with the biggest cunt in town than you, and Gleeson plays these less savoury aspects of his character very well.

Honestly loved them, they’ve worked together so well previously and I hope they do again

gyac, you've won me over. I'm gonna watch bits of it again tonight.

Colin Farrell's character is constantly called 'dull' and there's never an instance where he is!

I could never go with this movie after Gleeson cuts off his fingers , too silly and it doesnt work as a Civil War allegory either. If anything, its used as window dressing.

what Colm does is quite obviously ridiculous, but it didn't make me lose any interest in this world and just about every other character seems baffled by what he's doing! I thought one of the funniest scenes was the other musicians in the pub looking extremely awkward playing with him after he's really gone for it.

an act of violence that makes little sense to observers (those on the other side of the conflict and outwits it), inflicts great harm on the perpetrator ultimately spiting his own vocation, and finally results in the regrettable death of a civilian bystander. seems thematically coherent

outwith*

one of my favourite bits in the movie:

I wasn’t creeping up on ya.

I was sidling up on ya.

Between you and that ghoul, Jesus!

I always call her a ghoul, too, because she is a ghoul.

Jeez, we have a lot in common, don’t we? Me and you.

Calling old people ghouls and that.

Barry Keoghan is just heartbreaking. And like Farrell-Gleeson, it was interesting to see Farrell-Keoghan interacting again in such different roles from their last movie together.

he's a brilliant actor with a very rare face

https://images.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/film/20210917121924/the-north-water-meet-cast-bbc-two-drama/0-588-847/colin-farrell-z.jpg
https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TheBatman.jpg
the previous couple of things I saw Colin Farrell in

some other geezer
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRgxio0FJdu3jYJq2yNHZIZAEDtp-hil6D9M7g6mJ1f1EyyRnZZyhv5lXuJkrjMOLMGVGw&usqp=CAU

“Maybe you never used to be” is such a devastating line lads

this scene made banshees of inisherin movie of the year for me pic.twitter.com/I7nFfwLWUn

— lauren 🫀 (@unrealshrike) December 29, 2022

it's a nice moment! there are about four of those at that level in this film.

Nice interview

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2023-01-10/colin-farrell-brendan-gleeson-oscars-banshees-of-inisherin

That’s a lovely interview- thanks for sharing.

Man, those guys need their own "Fishing With John" type show, where they just have guests on and sit around at the pub.

Fabulous Farrell hair.

love him screaming about the no-competition oscars

Fabulous Farrell hair.

― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, January 10, 2023 8:13 PM (eleven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

those eyebrows are what's giving me a glimmer of hope tbh

I saw the trailer for this a few months ago and, for whatever reason, figured it wasn't for me. But a friend urged me to see it after relating a recent situation in my own life virtually identical to Pádraic's; equally blindsided, no explanation (Colm did have one), a friend of 50 years.

I can't say for sure how I would have felt absent that--I don't know that it would have made all that much difference--but I really liked it. I don't know if Colm's extreme course of action (without being more specific than that if you haven't seen it) was necessary--I think the film would have been as strong without that--but obviously it's central to the film. Going to hazard a guess that I wouldn't think nearly as highly of the two acting categories that won AAs (only one of which I'll get around to seeing) as the two here that were nominated. Also think Brendan Gleeson should have been nominated.

He was!

Pádraic is genuinely nice. I was thinking about two people I have a certain degree of involvement with in my small town who are always posting those terrible memes on Facebook about how to properly treat people and what it means to be a good person. They're both a few years older than I am. I can't think of two ruder, less nice people. Are they even remotely aware of the disconnect between the stuff they post and the way they actually conduct themselves?

i’m not puttin’ me donkey outside when i’m sad either.

The tiny donkey was my favorite character in the movie.

I can't believe there were two prominent donkey films this year. That's got to be a record (by two) for almost every year ever.

I loved the emotional support donkey

The donkey was the the only redeeming part of the movie, it's fate was a sadistic turn in the plot.

This was highly entertaining, mostly because of the acting and the beautiful locations took me back to my visit to Inishmore. Didn't really think it had as much to say as it thought it did.

I think you could just enjoy it for all of that, and also for the Local Hero-type humour ("Let's not skip ahead..."). But I did think the film's central theme as explained by Colm (give or take a century) was valid and handled well. The only thing I question is Colm's threat, which seemed a little gimmicky (plus I'm squeamish).

https://bansheesthegame.com/

I can't believe there were two prominent donkey films this year. That's got to be a record (by two) for almost every year ever.

― clemenza, Sunday, March 19, 2023 9:39 PM (six days ago) bookmarkflaglink

There were actually donkeys in four Oscar-nominated films: Banshees, EO, Triangle of Sadness, and Navalny.

Didn’t really do it for me

not enough donkey

Among other things

This has pretty much shrunk in my imagination since watching it. Still, I can't quite shake the directness and obscenity of the central conceit - to the point that with people who know the reference, I'll frequently say something like 'are you going to make me cut off one of my fingers?'

This makes me wonder if, a bit like with the lol swearing of In Bruges, it'll endure in a vaguely cultish/catchphrase kind of fashion.

Saw this last night. All I can add to this discourse is that the donkey shared a name with my recently deceased cat so its death and aftermath was hard for me to watch.

just heard McDonagh on the radio blathering on about "petty outrage" and "people with an axe to grind". He's British to the core.

Based on the audience response here, somebody needs to sign that donkey to a multi-film contract before it acquires an agent.

xp in relation to the type of criticism mentioned upthread?

I would guess so, was just half listening and thinking who is this wanker. He was complaining about dialogue that is tailored towards what the audience expects, but he went short of using "woke". Then the interview finished and I realised who it was and it all made perfect sense!

Take yr soup & sit down Martin

I'll give a more comprehensive report if I'm unfortunate enough to hear it again next I'm falling asleep with WS on the radio.

its in relation to conversations from some theatres and groups about moderating language from his earlier plays i believe

finally saw this, while knowing essentially nothing (tbf i'd seen 'in bruges' so i knew it wasn't going to be a frolic) of what to expect

anyway, deeply fucked up and grebt. kerry condon was fantastic. incredible performances all around, and not least by colin farrell's eyebrows (and, honestly, the animals)

https://i.postimg.cc/9f01rYMk/reshpecktabiggle.jpg

The miniature donkey was my favorite non human character in a live action film in like forever