It is 1923 on the island of Inisherin and amiable Padraic (Colin Farrell) walks down to the house of his friend Colm (Brendan Gleeson) at the usual time to ask him to the pub. Colm does not answer the door and when Padraic looks through the window, he sees Colm smoking a cigarette and clearly ignoring him. Confused by the strange behavior, he declares that he'll see him at the pub and departs. The pub owner is astonished to see Padraic arrive without Colm and asked if they are rowing. As far as he knows, Padraic says not. It soon becomes apparent that Colm wants nothing to do with Padraic and takes extreme measures to enforce this separation.
The movie is generally tragic though it has many laugh out loud moments. Colm's catastrophic confession with the visiting priest is probably the funniest bit. That the movie takes place during the Irish Civil War (1922-23), it may be an allegory. Padraic comments that he doesn't understand why there is a civil war and then finds himself in personal one. Kerry Condon plays Siobhan, Padraic's sister. She is equally baffled by Colm's behavior but urges Padraic to respect the split. Barry Keoghan plays Dominic, who is generally viewed as the village idiot. He's not so dumb as that but is clearly lonely; the island does not appear to have many women of his age who are available to court. One stand-out character is Mrs. McCormick (Sheila Flitton). This old crone stalks the island like a figure of doom. When first met, she asks how long it had been since Padraic and Siobhan's parents died. Later, she declares that there will be a death by the end of the month, maybe two. She is very like a banshee.
Banshee: a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose appearance or wailing warns a family that one of them will soon die
It is very well-made and interesting movie, but there are no happy endings or even clear resolutions. This too may be hinting at the Irish Civil War. Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment