First Take: The Banshees of Inisherin- awards season begins in true Irish style

SYNOPSIS: Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.

With a Martin McDonagh film, you know exactly what you’re gonna get well before the BBFC black card comes on screen. With In Bruges, it was the tale of a hitman going wrong, with Seven Psychopaths it was a self referential film about a screenwriter becoming embroiled in a criminal underworld, and with Three Billboards, it was the story of a mother seeking justice. Now, reunited with his two main stars for the first time since that seminal 2008 release, McDonagh has a new film out in time for those elusive awards deadlines. And boy is this one dark.

As ever, McDonagh is writer/director, so he has a big amount of input on where this 1 hour 49 minute tale goes- it is paced fairly well, with a hefty amount of character development crammed into a short runtime, and on top of that, this film goes to some seriously dark places at times, earning the 15 certificate with its mix of deep moments and the occasional bit of humour (which has become typical within his previous films); it ain’t an easy watch at points, but if you’ve seen any of his older movies, this is exactly what he is known for. Behind the camera is Ben Davis, who shoots this film magnificently using natural light a fair bit, and as is tradition, McDonagh opted to bring in Carter Burwell to score it.

On to the cast, and there’s really only one place to start. Returning to work for McDonagh is Colin Farrell and Brendon Gleeson, two talents this director knows how to get the very best out of regardless of what kind of film they make - and they continue to work incredibly well as leads. A plot like this relies on having two exceptional actors to tell the story of a friendship falling apart in the way that it does in this movie, and these two more than do it justice. Rounding out the cast is Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan (who continues his meteoric rise into Hollywood off the back of Dunkirk and a few other indie releases), Gary Lydon and Pat Shortt, but ultimately this one is a story written solely for the leads. It’s a movie which no production company would ever take a chance on aside from Film4, with its remit to be the alternative- and thinking about it, releasing a film like this in the same week its parent company (Channel 4) turns 40 feels right.

THE VERDICT

Banshees of Inisherin is an acquired taste- for fans of McDonagh’s older work, this will be an absolute breeze, but for the casual viewer, it is a slow burner of a film that will take you on quite the journey. It isn’t for everyone, but as we start the journey towards BAFTA and Oscar time, it’s a film we will be talking about when the nominations get revealed.

RATING: 4/5