"The Banshees of Inisherin" has received a glowing reception across the world. Nominated and winning awards most of the major categories, the cast and crew are fixtures on the awards circuit.
And this Sunday they will be competing for Oscars at the 95th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
First up, a warning. What follows does contain spoilers.
How has a small film set in the West of Ireland caused such a buzz?
The electric chemistry of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson is certainly one of the major attractions. Having previously starred opposite each other in writer-director Martin McDonagh’s "In Bruges" (2008) lightning strikes twice for the trio in another darkly comedic, and shocking, tale.
Set on an island off the West of Ireland, the film takes place in 1923 against the backdrop of the Irish Civil War.
Farrell plays Pádraig, an innocent man who takes pleasure in the mundane minutiae of everyday existence. Colm, his best friend, has an epiphany of sorts and abruptly calls time on their friendship.
What follows is bizarre and bittersweet. Colm informs Pádraig that he wishes to maximize his time left in life and has no more room for his friends’ repetitive conversational content. Demonstrating his point to extreme levels, Colm vows to cut off one of his fingers for every time Pádraig speaks to him.
For many international viewers new to the West of Ireland, the film’s locale provides a feast for the eyes. Crashing coastal waves, lush green fields and contemplative strands set the scene for the locals to act out life as they see fit. A myriad of interconnecting series of stone fences set boundaries for the island’s residents, recalling the immortal words of Robert Frost: “Before I built a wall I'd ask to know, What I was walling in or walling out, And to whom I was like to give offense.”
Good fences make good neighbors, indeed, particularly when Ireland was establishing its separation from Britain in 1923. Colm abruptly declares his independence from Pádraig and so begins a chain of events mirroring the actual civil war taking place concurrently. In that conflict, Irish citizens would turn on themselves, brother against brother, family versus family and friend against friend.
Pádraig becomes a pet left in the cold, unceremoniously dropped by his best pal. He is confounded by Colm’s decision and is desperate to just return to “the way things were” – the pangs of pain and regret that surely ran through the heads of thousands of divided Irish men and women during this time.
In the Irish language, the word “Inis” means Island and the word “Eirin” means Ireland. Viewed in this way, the setting is literally the Island of Ireland; a microcosm of a stage for an internal conflict set aside by itself, into the West and reflecting the larger national conflict taking place on the mainland.
“Banshees”, or “Bean-sí” (in Gaelic) are female spirits in Irish folklore, harbingers of doom that herald the death of a family member. They are recognized by their piercing screams that turn the blood cold.
A skilled violinist, Colm ends his friendship with Pádraig to focus on writing his musical masterpiece, a song he calls “The Banshees of Inisherin." Without a family and in the twilight of his years, Colm views the song as his legacy; something that will live on after him.
Filled with grandiosity and self-importance - certainly not hallmarks of the West of Ireland - he is unable to be distracted by the incessant, repetitive chatter of his former friend. The song is therefore a death-knell for their friendship, but, unlike the banshee’s scream, we never hear it. Colm carries out his threat to cut off fingers one by one.
By the end of the film, Colm takes to the local pub to unveil his magnum opus. Colm is impassioned in his presentation, waving his bow with one hand and unable to press the strings with the other; he is fervently delusional (Note: Brendan Gleeson’s eye movement alone deserves an Academy Award for acting in this film.)
His desire to succeed need not be questioned, but it is quite clear that the song will only ever exist in his head. Is the extent of his legacy to be no more than a myth of the island himself? Is it the destiny of this self-mutilated violin player to become something talked about, in hushed whispers, not unlike the Banshees of his song? Fingerless and friendless, he faces a more haunting question that the survivors of the civil war must also have asked themselves; was this really worth spilling our own blood?
Ireland’s presence in the film scene is firmly felt this year. The Irish are nominated for a record number of 14 Academy Awards with The Banshees of Inisherin leading the charge with 9.
Deftly directed by Martin McDonagh, from his own screenplay rich in symbolism and characterization, he looks certain to grab Best Screenplay for his efforts.
Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson are rightly considered for Academy Awards for their contributions. Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon, shine in roles that have given them Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress nominations, respectively.
Kerry Condon is simply terrific in this picture, lighting up every frame with her abilities. Sister to Pádraig, her character Siobhán acts as a beacon of maturity and much needed “cop-on."
We feel her frustrations when her advice goes unheard and and breathe with relief when she removes herself from the unfolding tragedy. Rising star Barry Keoghan wears both masks of tragedy and comedy as he steals every scene he is part of.
The swell of Irish filmmaking artistry is further noted by the Academy with Aftersun’s Paul Mescal nominated for Best Actor and Colm Bairead’s An Cailin Ciúin up for Best International Feature.
In a year that the Irish film industry has made its mark, Banshees, regardless of how it performs in Sunday's awards, looks certain to direct audiences Into The West.
Cormac O'Donnell, a native of County Donegal, is an Irish educator of Media based in the United Arab Emirates. He holds a Master's Degree in Film Studies and enjoys exploring cinematic representations of Ireland.
