ORIGINALLY, WRITER and director Martin McDonagh was trying to capture the sadness of a breakup. Romance then turned to friendship. Heartache turned to civil and national strife. And somewhere along the way, McDonagh decided to give a character some shears and a burning desire to cut off his fingers.
The Banshees of Inisherin, the result of all this pain and dark comedy, is now nominated for nine Oscars—including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director (McDonagh), and Best Actor (Colin Farrell). It’s the most nominated Irish film in Academy Award history, though the “Irishness” of the film will likely hang in contention. (McDonagh, who is Irish but grew up in England—“London-Irish,” he’s called it—has, according to Irish film critic Donald Clarke, always made the country somewhat uneasy about his theatrical depictions of the land and its people. But such is good art.)
The movie takes place in April 1923, just before the end of the Irish Civil war—although, characters in the film believe the war is endless—and was shot on the islands of Inishmore and Achill in the Aran Islands.
And it is a delight.
Part emotional study of loss, part national study of depression and abuse, part hyperbole of artistic ambitions, the film is likely to take home at least one or two awards. And, sure, it’s a bit of a nihilistic downer, but as McDonagh said in a recent interview, that’s only if you “miss what could be just two lines of hope in a dark story. I think that’s enough— if you’re paying attention.”
Before the awards ceremony, you can catch the film on several streaming services. It’s also available to rent at a low price. Watch and pay attention.
How to watch The Banshees of Inisherin
You can watch Banshees on HBO Max, if you are a subscriber. You can also watch by adding a Max subscription to your Hulu or Amazon Prime subscriptions—Prime, in fact, offers a 7-day free trial, so you could also just do that.
You can also rent the film on Apple TV and Amazon.
Assistant Editor
Joshua St Clair is an Assistant Editor at Men’s Health Magazine.
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