The Banshees of Inisherin
9 Oscar Nominations
Rent/Purchase
Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
What critics thought
McDonagh's tragicomedy about a severed friendship on a small Irish island was rapturously received by most critics, who admired its tonal precision — the way genuine darkness and absurdist humor coexist without canceling each other out. The sharpest fault line runs not over the film's quality but over its portrayal of Ireland itself: a notable contingent of Irish and Irish-adjacent critics argued that McDonagh leans on lazy stereotypes and a dangerously simplified view of the Civil War, a charge that largely went unremarked in the international enthusiasm.
“What begins as a doleful, anecdotal narrative becomes something closer to mythic in its rage and resonance: McDonagh has long fixated on the most visceral, vengeful extremes of human behavior, but never has he formed something this sorely heartbroken from that fascination.”
Guy Lodge·Variety
“its constant undercurrent of humor affords the story's most pressing questions an appropriately ridiculous context, one that speaks to the absurdities of all existence”
David Ehrlich·IndieWire
“a short story trying to be a novel”
Mark Feeney·The Boston Globe
“underneath its Quiet Man curlicues, a much better movie strains for freedom”
Ed Power·The Telegraph
“beautifully staged but dangerously ahistorical and misleading film”
Joy Porter·The Spectator
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorMartin McDonagh
StarringColin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, Gary Lydon
ComposerCarter Burwell
The Banshees of Inisherin
9 Oscar Nominations
Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
What critics thought
McDonagh's tragicomedy about a severed friendship on a small Irish island was rapturously received by most critics, who admired its tonal precision — the way genuine darkness and absurdist humor coexist without canceling each other out. The sharpest fault line runs not over the film's quality but over its portrayal of Ireland itself: a notable contingent of Irish and Irish-adjacent critics argued that McDonagh leans on lazy stereotypes and a dangerously simplified view of the Civil War, a charge that largely went unremarked in the international enthusiasm.
“What begins as a doleful, anecdotal narrative becomes something closer to mythic in its rage and resonance: McDonagh has long fixated on the most visceral, vengeful extremes of human behavior, but never has he formed something this sorely heartbroken from that fascination.”
Guy Lodge·Variety
“its constant undercurrent of humor affords the story's most pressing questions an appropriately ridiculous context, one that speaks to the absurdities of all existence”
David Ehrlich·IndieWire
“a short story trying to be a novel”
Mark Feeney·The Boston Globe
“underneath its Quiet Man curlicues, a much better movie strains for freedom”
Ed Power·The Telegraph
“beautifully staged but dangerously ahistorical and misleading film”
Joy Porter·The Spectator
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorMartin McDonagh
StarringColin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, Gary Lydon
ComposerCarter Burwell
Rent/Purchase