The Banshees of Inisherin

McDonagh hasn't made a bad movie yet. He's a whiz at turning even an uninteresting premise into an ambitious work that will storm the Oscars. I was honestly worried, as this is his most intimate film without violence, but he still managed to win me over. We get the most out of the actors here! Colin Farrell – clear Oscar, Barry Keoghan – second Oscar. The landscape of the Irish countryside is amazing (I enjoyed the rough Irish slang too), it's just close to my heart and that can impress me. What's great though is the insanely bizarre black and bitter humour, I laughed really loud a few times and some of the lines are brutal, and that's what makes it just so great. “Wasn't it so much easier when we was all on the same side, and it was just the English we was killin'?” Good film. 80%. (2022-12-21)

I tell myself that this is exactly how every girl I try in all honesty to make contact with must feel: she'd rather cut off her fingers and throw them on my doorstep than answer me. McDonagh's once again wipes its ass with Hollywood clichés and serves up another searing relationship film about people separated from the "norm" of civilization, alternating funny and bizarre scenes with tragic ones in a balanced rhythm. It is about the boundless loneliness of those people who have chosen such a life for themselves, as well as those who are in it involuntarily, a morally pure and naive versus skeptical view of the world. And the fact that sooner or later they'll converge. There was no twist that grounded me this time, and the character of the old fortune teller seemed a bit unnecessary, but I will definitely be thinking about this film for some time. Only I don't know yet if it's because of the overall message, or just because of some scenes and the performances. (2022-12-16)

A pleasant, cruel conversational movie about the fact that sometimes you can simply hate your neighbour for no apparent reason. There isn’t anything especially deep about it; it’s just a pleasantly thick stout with white foam in the form of a great central duo and a setting that’s as hearty as its inhabitants. (2023-01-14)

The Banshees of Inisherin begins as a tale of inflated ego, but grows into an otherworldly tale of kindness and vanity. Farrell and Gleeson excel again under the direction of McDonagh. The superb dialogue, the search for the reason for it all and the very slowly escalating conflict are absorbing and, apart from a minor slower passage in the middle, it is an excellent piece of work. Burwell's minimalist music fits beautifully. (2022-12-17)

The (un)official final part of the free trilogy from the Aran Islands. Of McDonagh’s works, this the closest to his theatre roots, which is a problem. McDonagh is a better writer than director and a better playwright than screenwriter, and as a film director, he tries to hide the distinct theatricality of the script, which is a mistake, it would be better if he accepted it for what it is. It is a minor detail, but coupled with the fact that it's not the best part of the trilogy, which also as a whole is overshadowed by the Leenan trilogy, means that The Bahsees of Inisherin feels like a tiny step backwards for McDonagh as a writer and as a director. Since his film debut, I've wanted him to be closer to his roots in style and substance, and this confirms the proverbial "be careful what you wish for, it might come true". But does any of this mean it's not excellent or perhaps superbly acted? Not at all. (2023-02-07)