The Banshees of Inisherin

Sorry folks, I missed filing a blog post yesterday, so the streak is over. I suppose I could have written something this morning and simply backdated it to January 7, but that would be just a little dishonest.

After dropping older son off at the airport and returning home on Friday, we decided to watch a movie: The Banshees of Inisherin on HBO Max. It's a movie that has been getting considerable Oscar buzz, and as it turns out, it is deserving of the praise. I'm not sure it's a great film, but is certainly good, and might get better with age and repeat viewings. It's the sort of movie you watch and are not exactly sure what to think in the immediate aftermath but find yourself thinking about hours later or--in my case--the very next morning.  

The Banshees of Inisherin takes place in 1923 on a sparsely populated but stunningly beautiful (fictional) island off the coast of Ireland. It could really almost be any small town or sparsely populated locale, a place where everyone knows your business and it's impossible to have any privacy. The movie also captures the sense of sadness, depression, aimlessness, ennui that can set in if you live in a remote area. In addition, it's just a good movie about aging and regret. It posits the question of what matters the most: being a good, friendly person enjoying the simple pleasures of life, or a driven person trying to leave a legacy, even if it hurts others' feelings in the here and now? It allows the viewer to come to their own conclusion.

All of this makes The Banshees... sound depressing, but it's also quite funny, darkly funny and often laugh-out-loud funny. The four lead characters, played by Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan, and Kerry Condon, all get great dialogue. This might be the best performance of Farrell's already excellent career, and Kerry Condon is--at least to me--a revelation in her role as Farrell's intelligent, misunderstood, and yearning sister. 

If it's not obvious already, I recommend it. You might scratch your head after the credits roll and wonder what the hell you just watched, but you just might also find yourself thinking about it for days afterwards and looking forward to when you can rewatch it.

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