Banshees of Inisherin - Meaning and Ending Explained

Oscar nominations are out so I'll be doing a few videos about not only my picks for who I think should win but also my opinions on these films one such film that was nominated for best picture was banshees of any Sharon it's a movie about friendship or is it what is the film really about well join me dear viewer as I explain all the intricacies of this wonderful movie if you're new to the channel make sure to hit that subscribe button and hit that notification Bell so you never miss out on all new reviews I put out weekly here at off the cover and without further Ado onto the video on the surface the Banshees of Innis Sharon is the story of two lifelong friends Patrick and comb played by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason who have a falling out but the film is not as simple as that it's purposefully a slow calm burn set against the waning days of the Irish Civil War in 1922-1923 rough 100 years ago this detail is important as The Story Goes On as we begin to look deeper into the film the movie plays like a funny Fable or folk tale laced with that delicious Irish charm and humor that I love so much the two men live on a remote island off the coast of Ireland which is sparsely populated by a collection of eccentrics who have known each other forever know everything about each other and as we see toward the end of the film are unlikely to ever leave the film begins with Patrick going to his neighborhood Pub to have a pint of beer with his friend calm only to discover that comb no longer wishes to be friends with him this throws Patrick into a melancholic Folly and a shocking depression I can't say I blame him if a lifelong friend suddenly decides not to talk to you it can be quite jarring Patrick spends a good chunk of the film trying to figure out why calm decided to drop him at the drop of a hat he comes to learn that comb finds him incredible really dull and boring but quite frankly if you ask me I think that's a dumb reason because as the film portrays brilliantly the island of Innis Sharon is quite dull and boring in and of itself comb really wanted to escape his onerous on Wii he'd go to the mainland Ireland for some excitement but therein lies the Crux of the film it is certainly not a story of ending a friendship at least not at its core the film is set against the backdrop of the Irish Civil War this isn't a part of American high school education neither in AP US History nor AP European History which I both took so you'll have to forgive my ignorance on the topic suffice it to say it was a very complicated geopolitical issue in its day and continues to be even through 2023 the film is an allegory through and through it brilliantly masks its players and it really doesn't matter which side Coleman Patrick are playing what matters is the portrayal of the senselessness of not only the Irish Civil War which pitted brother against brother but war in and of itself calm's reason for dumping his lifelong friend is really Petty and trivial which in the grand scheme of things represents the cause of most wars throughout history the tension escalates as calm begins to act more and more erratically threatening to and actually cutting off his fingers for every attempt Patrick makes to reconcile their friendship the tension escalates further as Patrick's beloved mini donkey accidentally eats one of calm's severed fingers and chokes to death on it Patrick is so distraught over the loss of his beloved pet that his nice veneer erodes immediately as he sets fire to colem's house all the meanwhile Patrick's sister Shaban played by the ever wonderfully witty Kerry Condon leaves the island for better opportunities and May Mainland Ireland she implores Patrick to leave the Dank Island and grow as a person but Patrick is now too embroiled in the conflict the old lady which Patrick avoids like the plague serves as the bridge between the Surface and deep levels of the film The Bridge of the allegory she represents the literal Banshee an Irish folklore a Banshee is a female Spirit who Heralds the death of a family member usually by screaming wailing or shrieking the name Banshee is connected to the mythologically important tumalai or Mounds that dot the Irish Countryside which the film cinematography captures quite beautifully at the end of the film Patrick remarks that some things there's no moving on from and I think that's a good thing this line encapsulates the core message of the film quite succinctly Ireland's history is fraught with conflict and its resulting Melancholy the end of its Civil War did not signify an era of Peace but even more conflict as the seeds of division took further root the escalation of the quarreling between these two friends signifies this division taking root the core message of the film aims to show the senselessness of conflict how however unlike a film like hell or high water it stops just short of explicitly directing the audience to cut the cycle of conflict the film ends more poignantly and allows the audience to make that final decision there seems to be a common theme among the Oscar nominees this year the Banshees of Innis Sharon top gun Maverick All Quiet on the Western Front Argentina 1985 and even triangle of sadness are all connected not because they were nominated but because they each bring a warning however explicit it may be the underlying connection between these films is the senselessness of war and conflict both internal and external when Eric ramrk wrote his book All Quiet on the Western Front he did so not to glorify War but to warn others about the senselessness and Carnage of it all he saw the horrors of World War One first hand and wanted to prevent meant these atrocities from ever occurring again he humanized both sides by showing the individuals fighting this war on the ground this is something that banshees of Innis Sharon also did and did brilliantly overall the Banshees of Innis Sharon was not a typical film for a typical audience in a way it reminds me a lot of Animal Farm telling a surface story and a deeper allegory for a much more serious topic the acting out of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason was spectacular especially at a feral who usually portrays much more tough and aggressive characters is he better than Brendan Fraser and the whale I don't think so but that's only in comparison Farrell did a fantastic job and is certainly deserving of praise the film itself was a phenomenal allegory warning against the senselessness of war in a time where we've never been closer nuclear Armageddon it is important to pay attention to These Warnings before it's too late I highly recommend you guys check this film out if you like this video hit that like button and subscribe for more great content

Channel: Off The Cover

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Keywords: banshees of inisherin, the banshees of inisherin, colin farrell, martin mcdonagh, brendan gleeson, barry keoghan, kerry condon, jenny the donkey, searchlight pictures, three billboards, irish movie, fox searchlight, ireland, banshees, donkey, the banshees of inisherin review, irish, friendship, top gun maverick, the whale, argentina 1985, all quiet on the western front, triangle of sadness, oscars, oscars 2023, oscar nominations 2023, movie review

Id: TuXgVWkPn0A

Length: 7min 35sec (455 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 29 2023