The Banshees of Inisherin

Martin McDonagh expertly threads humour and pathos like a master weaver who knows exactly when to change colours.

The Banshees of Inisherin is not just a beautifully written screenplay. This deeply affecting, warmly humorous, beautifully acted and handsomely photographed (by Ben Davis) film is a major work and top of my list for the best film of 2022.

As a comedy duo, Farrell and Gleeson are money in the bank, just as they were in McDonagh’s first feature In Bruges. As a pairing of actor and filmmaker, Farrell and McDonagh are no less in sync.

Evocative cinematography and a gorgeous score make this a spellbinding men-gone-wrong fable.

The film toggles masterfully between comedy and tragedy; realism and fable. It manages to be both of the moment and completely timeless.

I'd almost call this a horror film.

There are no missteps here, and it is, without a doubt, the best movie of the year for my money.

Raw and weird, it’s a mordant fable of friendship gone sour that will have you questioning your own mortality while simultaneously making you laugh until it makes you cry.

Dominic is the most tragic character in an island of pure, untempered tragedy.

The greatest tragedy of all is that one of the friends will sacrifice what made them special, only to become another banshee of Inisherin.