Synopsis

Set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN follows lifelong friends Pádraic and Colm, who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship. A stunned Pádraic, aided by his sister Siobhán and troubled young islander Dominic, endeavours to repair the relationship, refusing to take no for an answer. But Pádraic’s repeated efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve and when Colm delivers a desperate ultimatum, events swiftly escalate, with shocking consequences.

Critics Views

“This is an often shoulder-shudderingly funny film, whose comic dialogue is dazzlingly designed and performed. But McDonagh leaves fate itself with the last, black, bone-rattling laugh.”
The Telegraph

“Rich, layered, and full of beautiful shapeshifting emotional depth—at times laugh-out-loud funny, and then stopping on a dime to turn melancholy, heartrending, and or horrifying—The Banshee of Insherin will surely unsettle audiences trying to pinpoint blame or ascribe a hero or villain to the piece. Its morality and personal sympathies are purposefully opaque.”
The Playlist

“The Banshees of Inisherin whispers and laments and amuses the way McDonagh’s best stage writing does. And it offers the invaluable opportunity to see Farrell in his hangdog element, as Pádraic scrambles about trying to find purchase in the world, ever creaking and groaning in motion.”
Vanity Fair

Awards

Venice Film Festival 2022 – Winner 
Golden Osella: Best Screenplay – Martin McDonagh 
Volpi Cup:  Best Actor  – Colin Farrell 

Film Rating

IMDb
 Critics: 87%  Audience 82%

Rotten Tomatoes
Critics positive review 97%   Audience Liked It 75%

 Stockbridge Audience Score: 86%

Audience Comments

Felt very authentic of its time
How did Colin Farrell not win an Oscar? Just come back from Ireland and loved this film.
Should have won an Oscar
Excellent portrayal of the isolation and boredom of island life with nothing to curb malevolent authority figures. Well made with some very dark humour but ultimately rather depressing!
It was well acted and shone a light on a way of life that is devoid of modern day distractions.
Worth seeing, quality film
Wasn’t sure if the point of the film was to highlight the regret of civil war (ongoing thru the film) thru the somewhat bizarre inter-personnel conflict narrative on the island….. charming dialogue and striking cinematography…
Intense and brilliantly executed. The violence on what should have been a peaceful island was at least equal to the violence taking place on the mainland although manifest in different ways, including violence against self.
Wonderful acting and cinema photography.
Beautiful scenery, amazing actors, and a bit gruesome!
Darker than expected.
Very intense and gripping.
Dark, comic and disturbing- very memorable
Almost the perfect film – gorgeous shots, sharp script, excellent performances all round. Worthy of its 9 academy award nominations and surprising that it did not win any of them.
Powerful, slow burn
One of the most unusual films I’ve ever seen.
A strange story but personal mental attitudes interesting
Beautifully shot. Bit surprised it received a 15mins standing ovation!
Turned into a horror movie!
Gruesome!
My second viewing and it just got better. I was much more aware of the war on the mainland in the background this time.
Great setting. Excellent character acting. Dark humour. Odd subject but well interpreted.
Thought-provoking!
Wonderful, rich film – beautiful and troubling – would like to see it again.
Wonderfully scenic
Superb acting, especially from Colin Farrell. Very sad and thought provoking themes of loss and guilt. Did Colm actually want his fingers cut off for having ‘impure thoughts’ and his attempted detachment from Padraic was a displacement of this?
Well acted, finely paced and beautifully filmed film. Not sure if I really liked it and find it hard to categorize – fairy tale?
Whilst a somewhat incredible plot involving self-mutilation, the clever use of analogies in relation to recent Irish history made this an intriguing tour de force. Beautiful camera work and music.
The acting was amazing but the storyline was quite disturbing
Very dark, but it was easy to empathise with the characters
Acting was very good, but wasn’t sure what the message was, if there was one.
Gripping, intense, moving – the strangest, and one of the best I’ve ever seen
Very interesting, cinematography beautiful…..got darker and darker in mood, after the death of the innocent donkey……quite shocking in parts.
15 minutes too long; beautifully filmed and directed, and acted.
Marked as good rather than average due to the wonderful acting, a somewhat challenging storyline. Exactly what was the message?
Acting superb…photography stunning…sad but funny.
Strange. I’m still getting to grips with it. Man says he will cut his fingers off. And does
Visually and photographically excellent
I found the film very atmospheric and I thought that the acting was superb.