After being quarantined for well over a year, myself and many others were itching to get out and spend quality time with our friends. That is not the case for Colm though, as he no longer wants to spend any time with Padraic, leaving him unaware and confused on this sudden shift in their lives. “The Banshees of Inisherin” explores the ending of this friendship in one of the funniest yet saddest movies I have seen this year.
Off the coast of Ireland towards the end of the Irish Civil War, drinking buddies Colm and Padraic reach a roadblock in their friendship as Colm abruptly cuts Padraic off, claiming he is too dull and wants to focus on creating something that he will be remembered for with the remaining years of his life. Padraic, while perfectly nice, does not understand this new situation he is so quickly put in and continues to try to befriend Colm again, until Colm threatens to cut off his own fingers every time Padraic speaks to him.
From that basic description, it may seem weird how that could make a funny yet devastating picture. What I love about this movie is how simple the premise is. You do not need to have read a book beforehand or be a fan of a specific genre; you just need to be a person. Losing a friend, whether by a fallout or changing of lives, is tough and hurtful. You want to know what you did or if you could change one aspect about your relationship to repair it. But sometimes, it is not anything you did — that person has just changed. That is what Colm is trying to tell Padraic throughout the movie. He does not want Padraic in his life anymore because his needs and wants for his remaining years are different than what they used to be. Does Colm go about ending their friendship in the best way? No, absolutely not. It happens so abruptly to Padraic that when I watched I thought I missed a scene. I think this quick ending of a friendship that sets off the whole chain of events for the film is to show us that when you only think of your own feelings, you are blocked from seeing how it can affect anyone else. I do not think it was selfish of Colm to end his friendship with Padraic, but it was selfish how he went about it. Your actions matter even if you think your feelings are the only ones that are important.
As Padraic is failing to come to terms with this major change in his life, Dominic tries to fill this void as he also does not have any friends. Dominic’s father beats him in public as he is “troubled” and is seen to get on people’s nerves even though he means well. Padraic and his sister Siobhan take him in for a temporary amount of time. Both Padraic and Dominic are outcasted by people that mean a lot to them and are important in their lives and that is what makes them perfect for each other at this moment. Others may be put off by their quirks and that is what drives them together. Padraic does not really want to become close friends with Dominic as his main focus is getting Colm back in his life. But Dominic is right there ready to become that person Padraic is looking for. Sometimes, friends can be found during the lowest points of your life, and if you do not appreciate them when they show up and make an effort, you may lose your only chance to really get to know them.
One of the funniest scenes in the movie is when Padraic is trying to prove to himself that he is not just “dull and too nice” like Colm thinks he is. Instead of ignoring what Colm is saying about him. he goes to the extreme and tells a music student of Colm who is visiting the island for a lesson that his father has been gravely injured and needs to leave Inisherin immediately. Padraic is so desperate to make Colm see him in a different light that he drives anyone away who has a chance of taking his place as Colm’s friend. Colm wants to leave something behind when he is gone — that being his music — and Padraic is ruining those chances because he cannot accept that his former friend no longer wants to be in his life. Padraic thinks that his lie to the music student will prove to Colm that he is not dull that he is not afraid to proudly admit it when they are about to reconcile. You should not compromise yourself and what you believe in just to impress one person after they have made it clear they do not want you in their life anymore. Whether that be a break up or losing a friend, you are great as you and you do not need to change just to get someone to like you.
Throughout the movie, we are reminded that the Irish Civil War is taking place. I was actually unaware that Ireland had their own civil war in the early 1920s. The war was between the Provisional Government of Ireland and the Irish Republican Army over the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The Provisional Government, who were in favor of the treaty, ended up winning but the way left more dead than their own War of Independence did and left their society divided to this day. Having this war as the backdrop of this movie is used perfectly to represent the in-fighting between those who used to have a connection. The end of the film really drives this point home, as Colm wonders if the war is over and Padraic responds with even if it is, it might be better if the things they were fighting about cannot be moved on from. Based on all of the events these characters have been through, bringing their feud to a new head once death and arson are involved, we forget why they were really fighting in the first place. Both sides are not forever affected by the constant battles and no one is left off better than the other. No matter how much the anti-treaty forces kept fighting, they would never have the resources to take down their own government. Padraic could keep fighting for his friendship with Colm, but Colm would never budge as his mind was made up and he had threats ready for Padraic in case he did not respect his request to not talk anymore.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” shows us that life can change quickly and without warning, but we should never compromise ourselves or those who remain in our lives to reach an unobtainable dream, and that is why it should win Best Picture.
This one is for those who need a laugh during a sad time.
