Using Reddit to Convince you to watch ‘Banshees of Inishirin’

I want to convince you to watch Banshees of Inishirin, but I’m going to do it in the most ineffectual way possible: via personal anecdotes and reddit links. 

Good Movies are Scary

Good movies intimidate me. I am literally averse to watching a film if I know it’s going to be a good film. If I am aware that a movie is good, I have more hesitation in hitting play than I do for a movie I expect will be terrible. For example, my friend told me that Tar was excellent, so I was too intimidated to watch it in theaters. I’ll probably never watch it, and it’ll sit on my watchlist forever. On the other hand, an offhand reddit comment revealed that a film called The Lost Empire was the worst, most sexist, campy schlock he’d ever seen. So I hit play at like 9am and watched it on my second screen while working. 

The reason ‘good’ films intimidate me is because I know that they’re going to lay out a puzzle for me to solve. There’s a timer involved, in the form of the film’s runtime, and the pieces take the form of the dialogue, the acting, the direction and the mise en scene. That is to say, the script will spell out audial clues, the acting will reveal body language clues, the direction emphasizes moments of importance, or highlights visual metaphors, and the mise en scene combines all of the above. It’s an exercise. It’s a game you play. Every time you’re able to predict the next part of the film, you feel proud of yourself. If it’s too easy to figure out, you’re frustrated. If it’s too difficult to figure out, you feel stupid. 

Each individual viewer has a balance between these two opposites. I’m not calling anyone dumb, but there are some people who are good at deciphering films and the clues laid within, and, separate from that, actually enjoy films. Other people either do not enjoy films, are not intrigued by the game, or are not versed enough to read the film language. If you show a film to a child who has never, ever watched any TV, ever, then a film like Star Wars: The Phantom Menace would be completely amazing, wonderful and mind bending. They’d be unable to discern it from a film like Terminator 2. 

On the other hand, if someone has seen the entire filmography for Steven Spielberg, the Coen Brothers, Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrik, Akira Kurosawa and another half dozen prolific filmmakers, they’d give you a thousand reasons why they completely despised something like Black Adam or even Black Panther. What I’m saying is that it’s all a matter of personal interest and perspective. In my perspective, I’m intimidated when I expect a film to be complex and engaging. What if I don’t get it?

That being said, I enjoy good films and bad films. I like being depressed by Darren Aronofsky as much as I enjoy the next Jerry Bruckheimer adventure. Each film provides a certain type of entertainment that I crave or am capable of enjoying. Sometimes, I want a comfort show to ease my anxiety by repeating stories and dilemmas that I’m familiar with because I know I can solve the puzzle as it’s played. I’ll turn on The Office or Parks and Recreation or, more recently, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I’ll know where things are going, and I’ll know I’m not asked to exert my mind even when I forget where the plot is headed. But when I know that a film like Banshees is going to demand my attention and my emotions, I’m going to be a little… uncomfortable. 

In Praise of the Banshees

Nevertheless, I fell in love with the film. Colin Farrell is magnificent, as always. He’s supported by an incredible cast that numbers Barry Keoghan, Brendan Gleeson and (new to me) Kerry Condon. Together, with their supporting cast, the film is a completely engrossing, moving and bewildering tale. I didn’t know much about it beyond that Farrell and Gleeson would be at odds with one another, and I think that even if I’d paid more attention to the marketing, I would have been just as surprised at the film’s end and overall entertainment value. 

Of particular note is Keoghan’s heartfelt, adorable and standout performance. His presence is so precious and innocent and sympathizable. Further, his chemistry with Farrell and Condon is so unique and natural, it speaks volumes as to Keoghan’s talent and is a major reason why the film is so memorable. 

Farrell and Gleeson are powerhouses in their own rights, and their friendship-turned-rivalry is done justice like no other. We’ve seen friendly rivalries in media, but none that feel as heartbreaking and believable as this, despite, or maybe even because of, the completely ridiculous initial conflict. 

The story is also a unique and memorable, contemplative piece. It’s not often that a film is so bleak yet entertaining. So rich, yet so sparse. The film simmers with themes of depression and mental disturbance, present in literally every character. Gleeson really does cut off his fingers. Keoghan is visibly mentally incapacitated. Farrell and most of the other characters rely on alcohol as a crutch for entertainment and distraction. Hell, even Condon, the most intelligent character, is plagued with sadness and loneliness. Depression is used as a joke, but the joke also acts as a way to underline this theme. 

The film’s pace is quick and witty, yet the main plot points are spaced out with gorgeous, lingering shots of the island. It’s a classic use of b-roll footage to space out the plot between emotional and heavy plot beats. Not a lot of films have the patience or the audience to pull that off.

Further, the core plot is so simple that it’s ridiculous. A man, Gleeson, chooses to end a friendship simply because his friend, Farrell, is ‘dull’, so to speak. Farrell is hurt by this and struggles to figure out what this means for himself and his life, whereas Gleeson is stubborn in his desire to end the friendship. Each action taken by these characters, each line, each moment points towards a progression of this simple, core and refreshing conflict. Farrell and Gleeson’s replacement friends speak volumes to their individual characters and lean into their growth and change. Farrell struggles to remain the ‘dim but nice’ guy, whereas Gleeson realizes his new friends are not as ‘nice’ as his former friend. 

I’m glad I built the courage to watch Banshees. It toes the line between ‘not complicated’ and ‘too complicated to get’ perfectly. I was absolutely in love with dark humor interplayed between the moments of melancholy. I felt connected and drawn to the words spoken, to the characters’ movements and even the nonverbal animal characters. It’s a beautiful, heartfelt and heartbreaking film that I will not forget. Rather, it’s inspiration in extrapolating a rich story from a simple concept. You don’t always need to interject plodding, obvious layers of subplots and ‘subtext’ to deliver a story with many interpretations. Simplicity is often enough to spawn a complex discussion. Don’t believe me? Here’s one of the best post-film discussions I’ve ever read on Reddit.

9/10.

I may have an issue. I’ve fallen in love with literally every female lead in the movies I’ve seen. This time, I’ve fallen for Kerry Condon. So here we go again, I guess.