Despite its numerous continuity flaws, this film nevertheless fulfills its promise of dark comedy on a confining Irish island in the 1920s.
Continuity Errors
A country vet friend of mine (who admittedly hated this movie) reeled off a long list of its continuity errors. Why was Padraic (Colin Farrell) delivering pails of milk to the dairy when all he had was a herd of beef cattle? Why did Padraic have a beloved miniature donkey when the creatures hardly existed in the 1920s? How did the donkey choke in the circumstances it did when that would be practically impossible from a veterinary perspective? And why was the pub dark as a morgue in the middle of May when daylight reins until past ten o’clock in the evening at that time of year?
In fact, this film can be forgiven these apparent continuity flaws, since it sensitively and effectively encapsulates the frustrations and confinement of a close-knit local community on a remote Irish island.
It's no wonder The Banshees of Inisherin is such a strong Oscars contender.
Premise
The premise is simple: two close friends fall out because one of them, Colm, (Brendan Gleeson) grows tired of the other’s, Padraic’s (Colin Farrell) company. Determined to rectify the situation, Padraig embarks on a charm offensive on Colm with unexpected catastrophic results.
For the rest, you will have to watch the movie for yourselves: it is too much of a gem to mar with spoilers.
Opinion
One of the joys of the movie is how we manage to empathise with both protagonists, even Colm, who apparently suffers from despair, but in fact his actions suggest that his mental affliction might in fact be much worse than that. One substantive flaw in the film is that this affliction, as potentially the spur for his actions on one level, is only superficially explored.
Director Martin McDonagh teases two heartwarming performances from Farrell and Gleeson. One review I read was that their portrayal was akin to Laurel & Hardy, but to my mind that is nonsense: there is nothing slapstick about these portrayals of Padraic and Colm. The only similarity is that they are a fat and thin-acting duo. If you go to this movie expecting Laurel & Hardy you will be sorely disappointed.
McDonagh extracts a particularly fine performance from Barry Keoghan (Dominic) in his portrayal of a young man defined by his circumstances and probably doomed to stay a bachelor if he remains on the island. Keoghan’s characterisations are endearing and loaded with perception. Watch the movie for this performance alone.
Building on Three Billboards and In Bruges, McDonagh handles this material deftly despite its continuity flaws. As you watch, gradually it dawns on you that the split between the two old friends is a metaphor for the Irish Civil War. That’s neat, but it leads to another continuity error. Occasionally artillery fire can be heard on the remote island from the mainland. Quite why McDonagh took the opportunity to make it sound like a barrage from the Battle of the Somme, I’m not quite sure.
Assessment
Despite these apparent quibbles, The Banshees of Inisherin gets four stars from me.
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