The Banshees of Inisherinhas been a breakout success, both at the box office and now doing the rounds at the festival circuit, picking up nine Oscar nominations along with a host of other awards. This is the fourth film fromMartin McDonagh, director of the award-winningThree Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri(2018). This film reunites him with hisIn Bruges(2008) leading men,Colin Farrell, andBrendan Gleeson.
What Is ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ About?
The Banshees of Inisherinis, on the face of it, a simple tale of life in a small rural Irish village. The story follows the breakdown of the friendship between Colm (Brendan Gleeson) and Pádraic (Colin Farrell), initiated by Colm much to Pádraic’s surprise and consternation. As Colm pulls away, Pádraic tries harder to pull him back. This emotional tug of war quickly becomes the talk of the relatively tiny village. Tensions escalate until Colm reacts in a shocking act of violence and self-mutilation. As the men continue to circle each other, with Pádraic’s confusion growing in tandem with Colm’s increasingly erratic behavior, their progressively intense interactions lead to painful consequences.
This microcosm of turmoil reflects the wider tensions in Irish society in 1923, and it is clear that McDonagh uses the grievances of the residents of the island as a metaphor for the Irish Civil War on the mainland. We see little of it in the film but do see how the conflict influences the hearts and minds of Inisherin’s residents. The confusion that arises in the wake of such conflict is reflected in Pádraic’s ongoing confusion at Colm’s behavior, as he is drawn into a passive-aggressive battle he doesn’t understand. We also see, in the ashes of Colm’s burned-out cottage, that the war acts as a metaphor for the rapidly escalating conflict between the men. As Pádraic notes, it may be a good thing that there are some things we cannot move on from. This duality of meaning adds another layer of emotional resonance to the film, reminding the viewer that political upheaval is always driven by the emotion and will of those involved. It also reminds us that, even when we experience conflict and war at a distance, the impact of it is felt by all, a factor that is particularly poignant given the state of our current global political situation.
Toxic Masculinity Is the Driving Force Behind the Feud
Underneath this veneer of simple rural life lies a complex, often messy, and empathic exploration of masculinity. We see that both men are bound by lives limited by both their location and the wider social cues of the time. Colm and Pádraic’s relationship is driven by the limits of their social conditioning, and their relationship has functioned within these parameters for its duration. This includes daily visits to the pub, drinking away the hours not spent working the land, with Colm entertaining the patrons with his folk music. Within this dynamic, Colm has become weary and feels an existential dread at the nature of his life. However, rather than confront his fears, he instead pushes them onto Pádraic, making him the cause of his wasted potential. We see in his continued insulting and debasement of Pádraic by continually referring to him as dim, and boring, a bully who is acting out his feelings. This makes Pádraic’s eventual rejection of Colm a relief when he refuses to continue a relationship with a man who, apparently, thinks so little of him. However, this leaves the two men even more adrift, lost in a sea of bitter recrimination and regret.
This notion of disenfranchisement and detachment from peers is a recurring theme in McDonagh’s work, but the intimacy of the context inThe Banshees of Inisherin, coupled with the small cast, really allows this theme to flourish. We see how the Civil War on the mainland has altered people’s views, and it is not hard to imagine how such a destabilising sociopolitical context would influence these characters. Alongside this, we see in the male characters that the deeply ingrained notions of patriarchy and masculinity have slowly seeped into their lives and relationships, poisoning the well. For Colm and Pádraic, this toxicity results in an inability to express their feelings, and the significance of their relationship. We see how hard it is for Pádraic to tell others about the issues he’s having with Colm, and how those around him trivialize their “falling out” and position it as childish even when it is clear that it is causing them both pain. We also see that they are unable to express their feelings towards each other, with Colm never clearly articulating why he has suddenly changed and Pádraic unable to tell him how much his friendship means to him. By the end of the film, we see how such a stranglehold of masculine repression can lead to only one outcome; rage and violence.
Loneliness Pervades Inisherin
This is a film about loneliness. The overwhelming sense of it pervades Inisherin, in the tired faces of the men in the pub, in Siobhán’s (Kerry Condon) longing for a life in which she is understood. Even though Pádraic initially rejects Siobhán’s question about his own loneliness, we see it in his inability to accept the end of his relationship with Colm, and his sister’s desire to leave. His attempts to hold onto his friendship with Colm and keep Siobhán on the island are both driven by the fear of being alone. But, much like Colm, he doesn’t have the language to express it, and so he resorts to a dogged determination to restore order to his life. We see that Dominic (Barry Keoghan) is also lonely, trapped by shame and a secret he cannot share. Alongside this loneliness is a longing, for a life that can never be, in Colm’s case, and a life that seems just out of reach for Siobhán. Inisherin is an island filled with wanting, and it is in these individual desires that the conflict in the film arises.
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Why Does Colm Cut Off His Own Fingers?
Colm’s actions stem from a midlife crisis and eventual breakdown that is driven by toxic masculinity. This is clear from Colm’s initial rejection of Pádraic through to his eventual self-mutilation. He speaks of composing, of creating something that lasts in an attempt to find meaning, but we see through his increasingly brutal treatment of himself, and Pádraic, that he is removing any chance of his own happiness and success. It is obvious that he is driven by the need to express his own inner turmoil, feelings of regret, and loneliness. But, he lacks the emotional language and capacity to vocalize his pain, and so he instead relies on extreme physical, and external manifestations of pain. When the violence comes, it is shocking. Colm’s first mutilation is visceral, as is McDonagh’s direction of it. We see bloody sheep shears and then a finger flying through the air. That Colm chooses to both mutilate himself, and then attempt to make Pádraic take the blame speaks to the inherent childishness of his character.
He is positioned as this wise, poetic, elder to the younger, more naive Pádraic but his reaction is the ultimate act of passive aggression. Despite his pleas to be left alone, he chooses to instead sever a finger and, quite literally, throw it at Pádraic. It is difficult to imagine a more attention-seeking act and it highlights how his words and actions do not align. He is also removing any hope of succeeding as a musician, by literally destroying the tools he needs to achieve his desires. This cowardice is masked through his positioning of himself as the victim, a man who has only asked for a quiet life. By making a bizarre threat to Pádraic, one that no rational person would take seriously, he again positions his mutilation as Pádraic’s fault. He is quite literally cutting off his fingers to spite his face, due to his inability, or refusal, to be honest about his fears.
Peader’s Sexual Abuse of Dominic
Alongside Colm’s ghastly actions, we also see the horrific violence that is the foundation of the relationship between Peader (Gary Lydon) and Dominic, fraught with domestic and sexual abuse. Dominic’s bruises are Inisherin’s shame, as everyone knows, and whispers, about the things his father inflicts on him, and yet no one intervenes to help. This is a tense storyline, particularly given the long history of intertwined abuse and religion in Ireland. In Dominic, we see a man who is unaware that hope exists. He has no frame of reference for a life that doesn’t revolve around his father’s fists. His life is contained within the borders of Inisherin and, unlike Colm and Siobhán, he cannot imagine an alternative. Peader’s character serves to typify the inherent violence of toxic masculinity and the long-reaching influence of the patriarchy. He is the father, and the law, and so feels he is beyond reproach or punishment. We see that when his behavior is challenged he reacts with extreme and brutal violence. Although Peader’s sexuality is initially played for admittedly dark laughs, later on in the film we see the cost and consequence of his abuse. Within this father-son relationship, we see another kind of masculinity, one that utilizes shame and fear to satisfy masculine desire.
Colm and Pádraic Are Afraid of Change
Both Colm and Pádraic are trapped in a world both inflicted on them and of their own making. Colm has not left Inisherin to pursue his musical aspirations. Pádraic has made no attempt, or so we can assume, to build a family of his own, and so is thus dependent on both Colm and Siobhán. This tension between choice and duty is reflected in the turmoil of the mainland, and the changing face of Ireland, change that is making its way to Inisherin. Colm and Pádraic’s reactions to this, although different, are ultimately driven by the same fear; fear of change, and fear of a new world in which they no longer know what it means to be a man. This film returns to previous themes in McDonagh’s work, including the complexity of male relationships and the reluctance to grow up and face life as it is, rather than what we would like it to be.
With Siobhán’s character, we also see the inherent lack of meaning in the feud between Colm and Pádraic. When she informs Colm that all men are boring, she reminds the audience that the real issue at the heart of this fight is not whether Colm is having a midlife crisis, or whether Pádraic is dull and unexciting. It is that neither man can see the world from the other’s perspective. Colm’s fears of his own mortality are stoked by Pádraic’s easy acceptance of his own lot in life. Pádraic is forced to confront his life and potential flaws through Colm’s rejection and Siobhán’s desire to leave the island. It is interesting that the only character with a happy ending is Siobhán, further highlighting how harmful toxic masculinity can be.
