Summary
Andy and Red would disapprove of McDonagh’s anti-feel-good film. A twisted Irish tale that offers solace in solitude rather than friendship.
Well, if you thought the need for male friendships ruined The Shawshank Redemption, The Banshees of Inisherin will pull your cold heartstrings. Films very rarely deal with the dissolution of friendships without some explanation, like a nefarious affair, fraud, or some type of cinematic backstabbing. I’ve put together a full spoiler-free review and then an explanation of the ending, which will contain spoilers.
Table of Contents
The Banshees of Inisherin Review and Plot Summary
Martin McDonagh strips away the movie minutia and makes the plot simple. Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) does not want to be friends with Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell) anymore. Why? He simply just doesn’t enjoy spending time with the man.
The film takes place on the small Island of Inisherin — which is fictional, even though there is an island with the name Inisheer. This is in 1923 and the middle of the Irish Civil War, which you could see across the water. The war has cut off the Island, which is remote, to begin with.
That has made Colm and Pádraic lifelong friends, and he is devastated when his buddy puts an end to it. For one, they live near each other. They both will still go to their favorite pub. They know the same people, and there aren’t a lot of new friendship prospects at the moment.
Pádraic views Colm as one of those friendships that is hard to find, impossible to forget, and challenging to leave. And that sentiment comes to the forefront. Pádraic cannot let the subject go. Colm has changed. He knows time is dwindling, and he has become an academic and an aspiring musician.
Colm is cocky and arrogant and finds his former friend boring. He seems to detest nothing more than a nice guy and no longer needs that in his life. The frumpy, overweight redhead has a song to sing from his heart. He wants to put his Irish folk music on paper before his time is up, and Pádraic will not get him there. In fact, it may slow his progress. Basically, Colm thinks Randy Newman would have changed his tune if he had met Pádraic.
Is The Banshees of Inisherin worth watching?
The wonderful thing about The Banshees of Inisherin is that you have no idea where it’s headed, even in its darkest moments. McDonagh’s excellent script takes you to places you don’t expect, even if they are, let’s say, cosmetic, so to speak.
Those truly bleak moments can be shocking, even jaw-dropping because McDonagh keeps doubling down on the threats the story makes. This is a story born out of the Covid-19 pandemic. Here, people have limited prospects simply based on geography. The war puts even more restrictions on life’s options. As much as you want a friendly, heartwarming resolution, these outcomes are as cold and cynical as life can sometimes be.
The actors are phenomenal, with Colin Farrell giving the best performance of his career. He plays Pádraic as a plain nice guy who comes across as desperate, even pathetic, to a point as he keeps reaching out. Farrell’s slow, simmering evolution from the heart to hardened is frighteningly good.
At the same time, Gleeson’s cruel but honest portrayal is remarkably effective. He evens folds in some empathy towards his former friend but never takes his eyes off his chosen course. Let’s also not discount the wonderful turn by Better Call Saul’s Kerry Condon as Pádraic’s sister Siobhán. Her character is the most level headed of the group and also the one who is the most quietly desperate to break free from the Island’s clutches.
If there was ever a story that offers a metaphor for being aware of boundaries, The Banshees of Inisherin is it. McDonagh put his stamp on the anti-feel-good film. His twisted Irish tale offers solace in solitude than in friendship. It’s as far from Andy and Red as one can get.
The Banshees of Inisherin Ending Explained
What happened at the end of The Banshees of Inisherin?
The Banshees of Inisherin (Credit – Searchlight Pictures)
At the end of the movie, Pádraic’s sister moves to the mainland to take a job at a public library. He then finds his beloved donkey, Jenny, choked on one of Colm’s fingers that he tossed and bounced off the front door. He threatens to burn Colm’s home down the next day.
When he arrives, he finds Colm sitting in the house silently. It’s no matter; he starts the fire and watches it burn but takes Colm’s dog. Why? Because why did she, the pooch, die for his former best friend’s sins? However, the next day he finds Colm standing on the beach in front of his home, which has burned down to embers.
Pádraic greets him, thanks him for saving his dog, apologizes for Jenny, and indicates their feud may be over, like the 1923 Irish Civil War.
However, Farrell’s character tells him there would only be an end if he decided to stay inside the home.
What is the message of The Banshees of Inisherin?
The film’s message may be as simple as the definition of Banshee, which means “a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose appearance or wailing warns a family that one of them will soon die.” If you remember, a character named Mrs. McCormick is watching things happen throughout the film, including looking over the duo as they talk on the beach and locating a dead body in the river.
The message of the film is a prediction of death. But of who?
What happened to Dominic in Banshees of Inisherin?
It turns out the dead body was Dominic. He was killed near the end of the film. How? Was he beaten to death by his abusive father, Peadar? The local policeman in the town? The last time we saw the troubled young man, he was hanging out by the cliffs when Pádraic walked by.
Did he jump and commit suicide? While it is never confirmed, Dominic was kicked out of his home and had no place to go. His options were to return to an abusive father or find an out with suicide. We fear he may have picked the latter.
Is The Banshees of Inisherin a metaphor?
The Banshees of Inisherin has been widely believed to be a metaphor for the Irish Civil War. Even the way masculinity can be toxic. However, I believe there is another metaphor for the film. It’s one for setting personal boundaries and the fragile nature of relationships.
Here, Colm and Pádraic ignore problematizing boundaries when it comes to healthy, caring relationships. By creating healthy boundaries in friendships, mutual respect can develop expectations that lead to respecting personal space, limits, and comfort levels.
While it is clear, Colm is not the most pleasant or understanding man to deal with; Paddy most likely violated this before the beginning of the film, which is reasonable. Why? Considering everyone has been stuck on the island together during the war, just like during the Covid-19 pandemic, that may have violated Colm’s sense of identity and personal space.
What did you think of the film The Banshees of Inisherin, and the ending? Comment below.
