The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) * * *

Directed by:  Martin McDonagh

Starring:  Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan

The world must not want Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson to be friends, or at least Martin McDonagh's world.   In 2008's In Bruges and now 2022's The Banshees of Inisherin, Farrell and Gleeson start out as friends but end up as enemies.   Farrell and Gleeson have remarkable comic chemistry and can elicit laughs by staring at each other.   Both of these films contain brilliant performances and one hell of a setup which is let down by an unsure third act.   In Banshees, maybe the setup is so strong that there isn't a proper way to wrap things up.   

Banshees opens in 1923 on the island of Inisherin, off the West Coast of Ireland.   The mainland is close enough for the residents of Inisherin to hear the bombs and gunfire exploding on it courtesy of the Irish civil war.   A cold war followed by an uncivil one will soon take place between friends Padraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson) who would normally meet every day at 2pm at the local pub to drink and chat.  One day, Colm does what passes in 1923 for ghosting his old friend and advises him that he no longer wants his company.   What did Padraic do to deserve this treatment?   Colm explains that Padraic's conversation is dull and he wants to concentrate on writing songs for his fiddle.   No matter the reason, Colm wants nothing to do with Padraic, which naturally Padraic doesn't accept.   Colm makes matters crystal clear by warning Padraic if that he attempts to speak to him, he will cut off one of his own fingers and deliver it to Padraic's cottage which he shares with his sister Siobhan (Condon).   

That should make Padraic think twice about engaging Colm in conversation, but he's as hard-headed as he is simple and amiable.   Colm has simply outgrown him, in his own mind anyway.   Or maybe Colm is suffering through trauma unbeknownst to his friend, and to us.   The Banshees of Inisherin, however, isn't simply the Farrell/Gleeson show.  Kerry Condon, as Padraic's sister, and Barry Keoghan, as Inisherin's version of the village idiot, stand on their own with hilarious supporting work.   They can't make much sense of things, but each has his/her own goals to strive for without getting in the middle of Padraic and Colm.  Siobhan wants to take a job on the mainland while Dominic (Keoghan) sets his eyes on Siobhan.   The fact that Siobhan would move to a place where a bloody, violent war is breaking out tells you all you need to know about how she feels about Inisherin.