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One thing I didn’t have on my lifetime cinematic bingo card—and I bet it is not on yours either—was Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson become the 21 st century’s answer to Laurel and Hardy. And yet. With 2008’s “ In Bruges ,” and now “The Banshees of Inisherin,” the Irish actors, under the writing and directing aegis of frequently pleasantly perverse Martin McDonagh , display a chemistry and virtuosic interplay that recalls nothing so much as the maestros of the early 20 th -century Comedy of Exasperation.

This being a McDonagh work, it’s a comedy of mortification as well as exasperation. It begins with a beautiful overhead shot of the title Irish island, all green below a clear blue sky (in this picture it only rains at night, which, considering actual weather patterns in Ireland, places the film in yet another genre, that of fantasy). The Carter Burwell score evokes idyllic times, and we see life is rather easy for Pádraic (Farrell) a milk farmer who lives with his sister in a modest cottage and, apparently, calls on his old friend Colm (Gleeson) just about every day at two. Before he sets out, he makes a remark about Colm to his sister Siobhán ( Kerry Condon ), who sarcastically replies, “Maybe he just don’t like you no more.”

This turns out to be a bit of inadvertent prophecy. Because Colm rebuffs Pádraic. Over the course of several discussions, we learn that Colm has come to find Pádraic dull (and the earnest fellow’s conversation is indeed limited, if amiable), and that he believes he’s got better things to do with his time, like compose songs on his fiddle. When Colm goes to confession at the island’s church, he reveals he’s also suffering from despair. He’s suffering from quite a bit more than that.

“Banshees” is set in 1923, and several times its characters discuss hearing guns going off on the not-too-far-away mainland. The conflict between Colm and Pádraic serves as a handy metaphor for Ireland’s Civil War at that time, but the movie works best when it doesn’t foreground that metaphor. Which becomes rather grisly, as a commentary on a particularly Irish kind of obstreperousness. As in: Colm tells Pádraic that if the latter continues to talk to Colm, or at Colm, after Colm’s made it clear that the doesn’t want Pádraic’s company or conversation, Colm will cut off one of his fingers. Now keep in mind that Colm’s a fiddler who wants to continue fiddling, so this is actually, as a strategy, a sight worse than cutting off one’s nose to spite his face.

And so, after Pádraic gets in Colm’s face again, Colm actually does it. One of the neatest tricks of the movie is how McDonagh leads the viewer to identify more with Colm than with Pádraic early on. One feels: yeah, this is a rude severing of friendship on Colm’s part, but why can’t Pádraic just let the guy be? Some of Colm’s points are well taken. Colm’s probably better for Pádraic than Dominic, the exceedingly rude policeman’s son who makes Pádraic look like an urbane conversationalist, but sometimes these are the breaks, social-life wise. But once the fingers begin coming off, your jaw slackens and your eyes pop. Where’s this going to end?

Nobody does self-loathing like the Irish, and with this film, McDonagh is on much surer footing than he was when trying to tell America a thing or two with his film “ Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ” in 2017. “Banshees” has got touches of tenderness that are sometimes ever-so-slightly confounding, as when Colm shows care for Pádraic after the latter gets a pasting from Dominic’s bastard cop father. Being the writer he is, he often counters those with bracing reality checks. And as a director, he orchestrates the give-and-take between Farrell and Gleeson with the mastery of someone who appreciates these performers as much as discerning audiences do. They let it fly; Farrell does some of his best acting with his furrowed eyebrows; Gleeson has a glare that’s both a death-ray and an enigma. The pauses these guys enact are at times even funnier than the verbal comebacks McDonagh has come up with for them. And as it happens, Barry Keoghan as Dominic almost steals the movie out from under the leads, his very funny vulgar brashness never quite camouflaging his character’s poignant vulnerability. Very good show all around.

This review was filed from the world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 5th. It opens only in theaters on October 21st. 

Glenn Kenny

Glenn Kenny was the chief film critic of Premiere magazine for almost half of its existence. He has written for a host of other publications and resides in Brooklyn. Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film credits.

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Rated R for language throughout, some violent content and brief graphic nudity.

109 minutes

Colin Farrell as Pádraic

Brendan Gleeson as Colm

Kerry Condon as Siobhán

Barry Keoghan as Dominic

• Martin McDonagh

Cinematographer

• Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
• Carter Burwell

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‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ Review: Giving Your Friend the Finger

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play feuding frenemies in Martin McDonagh’s latest film, set on an Irish coast in 1923.

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By A.O. Scott

The island of Inisherin, a rustic windswept rock off the coast of Ireland, does not appear on any real-world maps, but its geography is unmistakable. Not only because the sweaters and the sheep, the pints of Guinness and the thatched roofs bespeak a carefully curated Irish authenticity, but also because what happens on this island locates it firmly in an imaginary region that might be called County McDonagh.

This is a place, governed by the playful and perverse sensibility of the dramatist and filmmaker Martin McDonagh, where the picturesque and the profane intermingle, where jaunty humor keeps company with gruesome violence. The boundaries of the realm extend from Spokane, Wash ., to the Belgian city of Bruges by way of Missouri and various actual and notional Irish spots. “The Banshees of Inisherin,” McDonagh’s new film, embellishes the cartography without necessarily breaking new ground. It’s a good place to start if you’re new to his work, and cozily — which is also to say horrifically — familiar if you’re already a fan.

Other McDonagh hallmarks include a breakneck, swaybacked plot, by turns hilarious and grim, painted over with a nearly invisible varnish of sentimentality. It’s not necessary to believe what you see — it may, indeed, not be possible — but you can nonetheless find yourself beguiled by the wayward sincerity of the characters and touched by the sparks of humanity their struggles cast off. And impressed by the craft of the actors and the crew (which here includes the cinematographer Ben Davis, the composer Carter Burwell and the costume designer Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh). Perhaps above all, you are apt to be tickled, sometimes to gales of laughter, by the spray of verbal wit that characterizes the McDonagh dialect.

It’s 1923, though modernity has dawdled a bit en route to Inisherin, where rural life proceeds at its immemorial pace. On the mainland, the Irish Civil War drags on; distant gunfire can sometimes be heard across the water. The islanders pay it very little mind, and don’t see any point to taking a side. The local constable (Gary Lydon), a dull, violent brute and the closest thing to a pure villain this movie possesses, is pleased to have been recruited to assist in an execution. He doesn’t know or care whether the National Army or the I.R.A. is responsible for the killing. He’s content to gawk and get paid.

“Banshees,” in any case, is concerned with an intensely local conflict, between Padraic (Colin Farrell), a sociable cow herder, and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), a melancholy fiddler. They have been drinking together nearly every afternoon at the local shebeen for as long as anyone can remember, until Colm abruptly and unilaterally declares an end to their friendship. “I just don’t like you no more,” he tells Padraic, who responds with wounded incredulity.

Colm is quite serious. Every time Padraic dares to talk to him, he vows, he will cut off one of his own fingers. This shocking, irrational threat — a violinist promising to sever himself from his art — gives the story a queasy momentum. Even after the digits start to fly — Colm flings them at the door of Padraic’s cottage — it’s hard for Padraic or the audience to accept what’s happening, let alone understand it.

What is Colm’s problem? He may be a bit more worldly than his neighbors. The masks and other objects that decorate his house suggest an acquaintance with — or maybe just a curiosity about — the world beyond the island. Gleeson plays him as a storm cloud in a billowing overcoat, an artist whose temperament is at once too delicate and too volatile for his surroundings. The parish priest worries that he’s prone to the sin of despair, which sounds simplistic but not entirely inaccurate.

You can understand how Colm might be annoyed with Padraic — part of Farrell’s charm is that he’s always at least a little bit annoying — and that Colm is desperate for a change in his routine. He’s composing a new tune, and time spent with a trifling drinking buddy threatens to distract him from this potential masterpiece. Still, self-mutilation seems a bit extreme.

Not necessarily in McDonagh’s world. (See also: “A Behanding in Spokane.” ) Colm and Padraic are flanked by sundry other Inisherinites, human and otherwise. Colm lives with a patient Border collie. Padraic, surrounded by livestock of various kinds, is especially attached to a miniature donkey named Jenny. He also lives with his put-upon, sensible sister, Siobhan (Kerry Condon), who quietly dreams of leaving Inisherin, and sometimes passes the time with Dominic (Barry Keoghan), the intellectually challenged son of that dastardly constable.

Some of these creatures are marked out for tragedy — a witchy old widow prophesies general doom whenever she passes someone on the road or stops in for tea — and McDonagh doles out misery and humor with an expert hand.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” might feel a little thin if you hold it to conventional standards of comedy or drama. It’s better thought of as a piece of village gossip, given a bit of literary polish and a handsome pastoral finish. Inisherin may not be a real place, but its eccentric characters, rugged vistas and vivid local legends make it an attractive tourist destination all the same.

The Banshees of Inisherin Rated R. Salty language and bloody deeds. Running time: 1 hour 49 minutes. In theaters.

An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of the miniature donkey to which Colin Farrell’s character is attached in “The Banshees of Inisherin.” She is Jenny, not Jennie.

How we handle corrections

A.O. Scott is a co-chief film critic. He joined The Times in 2000 and has written for the Book Review and The New York Times Magazine. He is also the author of “Better Living Through Criticism.” More about A.O. Scott

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The Banshees of Inisherin Reviews

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

Full Review | Feb 28, 2024

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.

Full Review | Feb 13, 2024

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

Full Review | Jan 29, 2024

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

Full Review | Dec 29, 2023

A dark comedy, at times with a great dramatic component, that explores human relationships and interpersonal communication with a lot of charisma and in a highly entertaining way. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Dec 19, 2023

McDonagh finds the perfect moments to insert humor, but the film’s comedic turns often serve to underscore the scope of the tragedy.

Full Review | Oct 26, 2023

A fascinating examination of male loneliness and hurt feelings.

Full Review | Sep 13, 2023

McDonagh uses the conflict between Pádraic and Colm to serve as a metaphor for the Irish Civil War. Brother against brother. Friends against friends. Their friendship loses itself in the fables of Inisherin forever.

Full Review | Sep 8, 2023

Its heartbreak is as potent as its comedy, both intertwined with the rhythms of the dialogue.

Full Review | Sep 5, 2023

It's delightful to watch these two character actors go back and forth...These two actors [Colin Farrell & Brendan Gleeson] are at the top of their game.

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | Aug 10, 2023

Colin Farrell’s performances lifts this quirk and dark comedy from Martin McDonagh.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Aug 9, 2023

The Banshees of Inisherin, as the title implies, is about death, both literal and figurative, but it’s the sad demise of a friendship that forms the bedrock of this brilliant, often poignant, frequently funny Irish fable.

Full Review | Jul 26, 2023

Strikingly funny and heartbreakingly honest, Martin McDonagh returns to form by telling the tale of a non-romantic breakup, the sadness of being dumped, and the tricky business of dumping someone.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 25, 2023

Martin McDonagh explores the painful part of human relationships by finding the comedy and gore contained within.

Full Review | Jul 25, 2023

The Banshees of Inisherin is brilliant beyond belief. Darkly Hilarious, emotional, & Richly layered with themes of fate, friendship, & death. Colin & Brendan were stunning! Martin McDonagh though might of just directed & wrote his best film of his career

The Banshees of Inisherin fluctuates from deeply sad to darkly humorous, a mirror of life itself.

Full Review | Jul 24, 2023

The Banshees of Inisherin is a hilarious, morbid, and beautifully shot film with astounding performers bringing mortality’s uncertainties front and center.

Full Review | Jul 23, 2023

Inisherin left me quite disappointed, as I hoped for an experience that made me reflect upon my own “stamp of immortality” or the light fractures in the bonds I have had during my life. It isn’t the best of McDonagh, but certainly not the worst.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Jul 22, 2023

"The Banshees of Inisherin" is a movie that could only come from the mind of Martin McDonagh. The writer-director remains a singular talent, whose dialogue jumps off the screen and becomes the star of the show. His latest is no different.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jul 16, 2023

We're beholding a totally gratuitous drama, driven by inexplicable motives. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Apr 4, 2023

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‘the banshees of inisherin’ review: colin farrell and brendan gleeson reunite with martin mcdonagh in vintage form.

Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan also star in this dark comedy premiering in the Venice competition, about the abrupt breakup of lifelong friends, sparking violence, suffering and self-reflection.

By David Rooney

David Rooney

Chief Film Critic

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The film reunites Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson , whose difference in age, physicality and character type makes for a Beckettian pairing that brings out the best in both actors, as it did in McDonagh’s 2008 debut feature, In Bruges . They lead a ruminative ensemble piece that expertly balances the tragicomic with the macabre, inhabiting territory adjacent to McDonagh’s stage work yet also sweepingly cinematic. The latter factor owes much to the soulful widescreen cinematography of Ben Davis, bringing a mythic quality to the rugged landscapes, and to Carter Burwell’s full-bodied, mood-shifting score, one of his loveliest.

McDonagh’s gift for flavorful dialogue and character is on display from the swift set-up, when Pádraic (Farrell) turns up at the lonely fisherman’s cottage of his lifelong friend Colm (Gleeson) for their regular 2 p.m. pub date and is perplexed by his cold reception. The older man sits inside smoking in brooding silence, clearly visible through the window but offering no explanation for his refusal to acknowledge Pádraic’s presence.

The mystifying rejection weighs heavily on Pádraic at the bar, where questions about his friend’s absence from the publican, Jonjo (Pat Shortt), rub salt into the wound. “Why wouldn’t he answer the door to me?” Pádraic asks his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) at the home they share with his beloved miniature donkey, Jenny (a scene-stealer to rival the title character of Jerzy Skolimowski’s EO .)

The next day back at the pub, Colm tells Pádraic to sit somewhere else but confirms that the younger man has said or done nothing to upset him: “I just don’t like you no more.” Gleeson’s heavy countenance conveys the cost to Colm even of minimally justifying his actions, but after much insistent prodding from Pádraic in the days that follow, he admits to finding him dull. “But he’s always been dull,” protests Siobhán. “What’s changed?”

While the setting is 1923 and this intimate conflict plays out against the backdrop of cannons and gunfire heard from the Civil War raging on the mainland, McDonagh teases out the humor in the former friends’ schism. This is especially the case in Farrell’s wrenchingly funny-sad performance as this sweet-natured, intellectually incurious man is forced for what seems the first time to think about his limitations. Telling himself that he’s “nice, not dull,” Pádraic becomes convinced Colm is depressed and needs his help. His clumsy interventions make Colm resort to drastic, self-mutilating measures to persuade Pádraic that he’s deadly serious.

The notion of a 1920s Irish farmer (Pádraic keeps a handful of cows to supply milk to the general store) discussing depression seems as unlikely as terms like “tough love” and “nutbag” being in the vernacular. But McDonagh imbues the tale with a timeless dimension in keeping with the rocky cliff faces, the icy sea and overcast skies of its atmospheric setting.

While the ghostly folkloric creatures of the title are not literally represented, the ghoulish, black-clad crone Mrs. McCormick (Sheila Flitton) seems to thrive on doom. “A death shall come, maybe even two deaths,” she intones with what sounds like malicious pleasure.

The ripple effect of Pádraic and Colm’s bust-up touches everyone in different ways — the gossipy shopkeeper (Bríd Ní Neachtain) who demands news like it’s the only currency she accepts; the priest (David Pearse) who comes to the island each week to say Mass, hear Confession and bite back when challenged; the mean-spirited cop (Gary Lydon) who regularly drowns his frustrations in hooch and takes out his rage on his son Dominic ( Barry Keoghan ) with abuse of various kinds. Even the peaceful gathering place of the pub is violated by tension.

While he’s not the brightest spark and has a blithe disregard for the standard social filters, Dominic is more perceptive than anyone gives him credit for. He has a touching openness about him, particularly when making nervous, self-effacing overtures of courtship toward Siobhán, one of the few times she drops her brittle detachment. Keoghan takes this small role and invests every line with as much delicate pathos as humorous eccentricity. It’s a wonderfully odd performance, no less essential to the film’s onion-like emotional layers than those of Farrell and Gleeson.

Periodic scenes in which Pádraic uses Dominic as a sounding board for his sorrow are especially tender. Farrell strikes a fine balance between exasperation with the policeman’s son and an aching need to fill the friendship void created by Colm’s withdrawal from his life.

The sense of place envelops the viewer in every frame. Davis captures the exterior scenes (shot on Inishmore, in the Aran Islands) in somber natural light, with candles and gaslight for the interiors, as befits an area where electricity would not have arrived until the 1970s. And Mark Tildesley’s production design is rich in detail, from Pádraic and Siobhán’s rustic family farmhouse to the time-worn pub to Colm’s cottage, its walls and ceiling hung with musical instruments, masks, puppets and other artsy finds that speak to his cultural interests transcending this remote place.

Throughout the film, McDonagh flirts knowingly with the absurd and the grotesque, punctuating the story with his customary jolts of creative violence and stealthily building suspense. But for all its wit, its lively talk and deceptive lightness, this is arguably the writer-director’s most affecting work. The devastating arcs of Farrell and Gleeson’s performances — two men once bonded in easy companionship, both of them eventually turned inward with glowering implacability — seed a despair that, in the end, affords them a perverse kind of mutual comfort.

The acceptance of sadness as part of life seems like something that comes only with age, which suggests McDonagh was right to sit on this title all those years, until he could dredge up characters and a story to do it justice.  

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‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ Review: Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson Reunite for a Darkly Comic, Devastating Feud Between Friends

Martin McDonagh returns to the mythic brute poetry of his theater work for a study of men undone both by loneliness and kinship — the result is his richest, most moving film.

By Guy Lodge

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For Pádraic, a simple but sensitive type, this snub reduces his social circle to a mere dot — perhaps a short line if you include amiable village idiot Dominic (Barry Keoghan, his gangly physique and charcoal-sketched features never put to more guileless use), which nobody really does. Orphaned and unmarried, Pádraic shares his parents’ scruffy old home with his beloved donkey Jenny and his older sister Siobhan (a revelatory Kerry Condon), a nurturing, bookish woman who has never really found her people on this desolate, unkind island. It’s a protective Siobhan who manages to tease out of Colm the reason for his abrupt termination of his and Pádraic’s friendship: he finds the younger man dull, has more or less run out of things to say to him, and would prefer the company of his fiddle and his devoted border collie.

Unsurprisingly reluctant to take such an explanation lying down, Pádraic decides he’s been a casualty of Colm’s escalating depression, and brightly resolves to claw his way back into his ex-friend’s affections. His charm offensive is halted, however, when Colm issues a macabre ultimatum that vaults a simple estrangement to the level of an eccentric two-man blood feud. What begins as a doleful, anecdotal narrative becomes something closer to mythic in its rage and resonance: McDonagh has long fixated on the most visceral, vengeful extremes of human behavior, but never has he formed something this sorely heartbroken from that fascination. 

There’s much talk here of “niceness,” which has never been this filmmaker’s default setting: Pádraic prides himself on it, while Colm, whose had a decade or so longer on the planet to tire of social niceties, has come to see it as an overrated virtue. McDonagh’s script has sympathy for both, while audiences may find themselves intriguingly split. There’s a kind of admirable, self-knowing integrity in Colm’s simple, increasingly obsessive desire to be alone; Pádraic’s terror of being left alone himself, especially as Siobhan wistfully eyes a life beyond the island, is just as understandable. Condon, wry and warm but no twinkly, benevolent cypher, makes Siobhan the one character who can credibly empathize with both men. She gets one exquisite scene, too, with the wonderful Keoghan’s sweetly wounded Dominic, rebuffing a clumsy advance with an unimpeachable gentleness that’s in short supply on this island.

After a teasingly postcard-bright intro — which sets up an Emerald Isle ideal of verdant fields, rainbows and sunlight skittering across the ocean, soon to be bluntly shattered — McDonagh crafts an Ireland where despair, for everyone, is something to be managed rather than beaten. Ben Davis’s lensing washes even the characters’ best days in raincloud grays; Mark Tildesley’s production design trades in cramped, muddy spaces shorn of ornamental detail. 

It makes for a story world seemingly drained of tenderness, in which every character is either single, widowed or otherwise alone; Pádraic and Colm’s now-bloodied friendship was perhaps the purest thing in it. As Colm insists to the priest that he’s never had “impure thoughts about men,” it’s tempting to consider a queer undertow to the bond that was, though the truth is that the two warring men never seem much like soulmates — simply the next best thing on a isle short of souls. It’s the loss even of such modest mercies that makes McDonagh’s quietly magnificent film so caustically, hauntingly and sometimes raucously sad.

Reviewed at Venice Film Festival (Competition), Sept. 5, 2022. Running time: 114 MIN.

• Production: (Ireland-U.K.-U.S.) A Searchlight Pictures presentation in association with Film4, TSG Entertainment of a Blueprint Pictures production. Producers: Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh. Executive producers: Diarmuid McKeown, Ben Knight, Daniel Battsek, Ollie Madden. Co-producers: Jo Homewood, James Flynn, Morgan O'Sullivan.
• Crew: Director, screenplay: Martin McDonagh. Camera: Ben Davis. Editor: Mikkel E.G. Nielsen. Music: Carter Burwell.
• With: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, Pat Shortt, Gary Lydon, David Pearse, Sheila Flitton.

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The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

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The Banshees of Inisherin review – a Guinness-black comedy of male pain

Martin McDonagh reunites Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in remotest Ireland for an oddball study of isolation and hurt

M artin McDonagh’s new film is a macabre black comedy of toxic male pride and wounded male feelings, a shaggy-dog story of wretchedness and a dance of death between aggression and self-harm, set on an imaginary island called Inisherin off the Irish coast. It’s happening in 1923 during the civil war; the additional symbolic acrimony is offered to us on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.

As with so many of McDonagh’s works, the glint of the unburied hatchet is all too visible in the murk, and the setting is a stylised and ironised Irish rural scene not so very far from John Millington Synge. Mutilation is a familiar motif. There are plenty of genuine laughs in this movie, but each of them seems to dovetail into a banshee-wail of pain.

McDonagh reunites Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, the co-stars from his 2008 film In Bruges about two hitmen marooned in that exquisite European city. Farrell plays Padraic, a dairyman who lives with his unmarried sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) in a modest cottage, with their cows and their adored donkey.

Every day promptly at two o’clock, goofy, good-natured Padraic calls for the guy he considers his best friend in all the world, so that they can go to the pub together. This is Colm (Brendan Gleeson), a more reserved, thoughtful man who plays the fiddle and is working on an air he is composing, entitled The Banshees of Inisherin . The other figures on the island include Dominic Kearney (a tremendous performance from Barry Keoghan), the idiot son of the island’s obnoxious police officer Peadar Kearney (Gary Lydon).

The latter is thrilled to be offered a fee of six shillings to supervise an execution on the mainland and likes to drink and masturbate himself into a naked stupor of an evening, at which point Dominic will sneak in to his front room and steal his booze to share with Padraic, muttering about his father and the “tiny brown cock on him”. Dominic is also poignantly in love with Siobhan.

One day, a terrible thing happens: Colm simply decides he doesn’t want to be friends with Padraic any more. Poor Padraic is stunned. Colm wants to sit far away from Padraic in the pub and never exchange another word with him as long as he lives. The reason, haughtily offered, is that Colm realises that he is getting on in years, death is approaching, so he wants to concentrate on his musical work and doesn’t want to waste any more time talking to daft, annoying, empty-headed Padraic. Upset and then angry, Padraic insists on talking to Colm, who angrily declares he will cut off one of his own fingers for each unwelcome attempt at conversation.

Perhaps the most pertinent comment on Colm’s rejection of Padraic comes from Dominic, who muses: “What is he, 12?” Breaking off romantic associations, in the divorce court or otherwise, is what adults do all the time. But ordinary friendships? Well, little kids at school will flounce out of those but adults are expected to maintain friendships or somehow let them fade tactfully away. But how do you end a friendship which may in fact be more important than a marriage? Men are ill-equipped emotionally to deal with it.

Of course, as Colm confesses to the priest (David Pearse), all this perhaps has nothing to do with Padraic: it is just a symptom of his own depression, something of which Padraic is dimly aware. But this is no consolation; as of now, Padraic has his own depression. He is now made to feel the beta-male loser in this zero-sum game of friendship, and in all probability Colm thought he was an irritating chump all along. It’s as if Vladimir turned to Estragon in the middle of Beckett’s play and declared that whether or not Godot turns up, they are now mortal enemies. As a study of male loneliness and swallowed anger it is weirdly compelling and often very funny.

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• Brendan Gleeson

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The Banshees of Inisherin film review: An impeccable cast eats up the succulent dialogue

Colin farrell and brendan gleeson reunite with martin mcdonagh for the first time since in bruges.

Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell in the film The Banshees of Inisherin. Photograph: Jonathan Hession/Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures/ © 2022 20th Century Studios

Has anyone attempted to set Martin McDonagh’s heightened take on Irishness beside Seán Hillen’s acclaimed Irelantis project? Probably not. The Derry artist was doing something different with his deconstruction of picture postcards — weaving in ancient history and contemporary discontent — but one senses a shared interest here in the touched-up John Hinde aesthetic. Perfect thatched cottages. Achingly picturesque seascapes. Colin Farrell even gets to make friends with a miniature donkey. Sadly we can’t turn the film over and write “having a lovely time ... hope Mary got her Inter Cert” on the back.

It takes a while for the upending savagery to set in. After exercises in Americana with Seven Psychopaths (2012) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, McDonagh returns to the Synge-song Ireland of early plays such as The Beauty Queen of Leenane and The Cripple of Inishmaan (there’s a clue in the title), but, at least at first, there is here a tad less brutality on display. Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, reuniting with McDonagh for the first time since In Bruges, play, respectively, Pádraic and Colm, two old pals living listlessly on a Hindeian island off the west coast.

One day, Colm announces he is no longer friends with the younger man. They will sit at different tables in the pub. No pleasantries will be exchanged. The closest Colm comes to an explanation is that he has come to find Pádraic’s drab niceness irritating. “He’s dull, Siobhán,” he says to his erstwhile companion’s sister. “But he’s always been dull,” Kerry Condon, brilliant as a sole voice of sanity, snaps back.

There is a suggestion of allegorical explanation early on. The film takes place in 1923. As red post boxes are painted green, distant “phumphs!” from the mainland remind us the Civil War is raging. McDonagh does, however, wisely leave the connections as faint tendrils. “The Free State lads are executing a couple of the IRA lads,” the bullying policeman says. “Or is it the other way around?” No comment is explicitly made on the rights and wrongs of that conflict, but even the apparent parallel with a tiny local dispute about nothing much risks offending the hyper-alert.

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For much of the film, McDonagh cranks back on the profanity — favouring “feck” to Mrs Doyle’s “bad f-word” — and keeps the interactions twinkly. Scrunch up your eyes, listen to only every second syllable and you could imagine yourself in the world of John B Keane. As events progress, however, a threat of self-harm confirms the writer-director’s Gothic instincts are still stubbornly intact. David Pearse’s priest, more of an analyst than a confessor, invites Colm to work through his nihilistic instincts. “How’s the despair?” he asks as if inquiring about gout or sciatica. We end up in an unforgiving place.

Not everybody is on board with McDonagh’s take on romantic stereotypes. Barry Keoghan’s sinuous, spidery turn as the policeman’s unsophisticated son nods towards John Mills in Ryan’s Daughter and (Keane again) John Hurt in the Field. Still more cuteness is afoot with Sheila Flitton’s all-seeing, pipe-puffing wise woman. McDonagh is, however, more in control of his own universe than he was in the occasionally off-key Three Billboards. We are no further from reality than John Ford was with his great westerns (not to mention his own take on a Hindeian Ireland) and, as in those films, the intensified nature of the characters does not impede their ability to connect with universal themes.

Much credit for that must go to an impeccable cast that eats up the succulent dialogue with relish. Pat Shortt and Jon Kenny, the sometime d’Unbelievables, give good cameo. Condon turns a potential scold into the most relatable character on the island. Gleeson and Farrell play off one another in a perfect complement — sulky gorilla opposite enthusiastic puppy — that, as awards season kicks up a gear, has been entertaining premiere audiences on both red carpets and inside the auditorium. At time of writing the best-reviewed film of 2022, The Banshees of Inisherin is on a journey. Who knows where it could end?

Donald Clarke

Donald Clarke, a contributor to The Irish Times, is Chief Film Correspondent and a regular columnist

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‘The Banshees of Inisherin’: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson Turn a Buddy Tragedy Into a Masterpiece

By David Fear

“I just don’t like ya no more.”

Then, one day, Pádraic leaves the modest house he shares with his sister, Siobhan (Kerry Condon), and his cow herd, and Jenny the miniature pet donkey, and goes to fetch his drinking companion. There’s no answer to his knock. He spies Colm through the window, sitting alone, smoking. Confused, the man ambles down to the tavern by himself. “Have you been rowin’?” asks the bartender. “I don’t think we’ve been rowin’,” Pádraic replies. When he finally catches up to Colm at the bar, his pal tells him to sit somewhere else. What’s going on, the younger man wants to know. And then Colm says the seven words that will cost these two gents a lot more than just their friendship.

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McDonagh also wants to give his actors a hell of a showcase, too, and it’s the two stars butting brows at the center of The Banshees of Inisherin that make this a masterpiece of men behaving very feckin’ badly. We don’t want to ignore the great work that Keoghan or Condon are doing on the periphery, or the exquisite cinematography by Ben Davis, or Carter Burwell’s ability to channel both regional folk music and a universal sense of grief in his score. It’s just that the Farrell-Gleeson Blues Explosion is what grounds McDonagh’s heady notions and fuels its fire.

There’s such an incredible give and take between these two, and while we’ve been taking Gleeson’s off-kilter charisma for granted since 1998’s The General, the performance that leaves scars is Farrell’s. It’s tough to think of a portrayal that finds so many emotional shades and levels of depth in incomprehension; his Pádraic can’t grasp the logic behind his friend’s decision any more than he can control his reactions, his sudden neediness or the shame that he’s done something wrong by doing nothing much with his life. You also see why a friend might be tempted to back away from him as well, yet you never feel that Farrell is tipping his hand toward sympathy or antipathy for this remarkably simple soul. It’s not a coincidence that the two men give the film’s ending a sense of ambiguity regarding what might happen after the credits role. Yet it’s also not a mistake that Farrrell is the one who gets the final shot, and that he’s the fella who leaves you with the sense that you’ve just witnessed wounds that may never heal. May the Banshees shriek for this duo forever. As for McDonagh: Welcome back.

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The Banshees of Inisherin review: A friendship turns into a feud overnight

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are best friends suddenly on the outs in Martin McDonagh's brilliant, serrated black comedy.

It's been nearly 15 years since Martin McDonagh made his feature directorial debut with In Bruges , a neat, nasty little gem of a movie about two bungling hitmen ( Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson ) on the lam — and not doing it well — in Belgium. The Banshees of Inisherin reunites him with his two leading men in a film that turns out to be pretty much the furthest thing from a sequel to Bruges , but still feels like a kind of homecoming nonetheless. And a testament, too, to how they've each evolved as artists: A prolific playwright whose last screen outing, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, won Oscars for both Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell, McDonagh has always been known for his particular brand of bleak existential comedy. Tar-black, bloody, and tinged with the surreal, it can also come off as ruthless, even casually cruel. Inisherin , though, feels like his most humane and deeply felt offering to date — which says a lot about a movie rife with blasphemy, self-mutilation, and miniature donkeys — and the actors here respond accordingly with some of the richest, most fully realized performances of their careers.

It's 1923 on a small windblown island off the coast of Ireland, and Pádraic (Farrell) seems like a happy-enough creature of habit: He lives in a modest cottage with his wry, bookish sister, Siobhán ( Better Call Saul 's Kerry Condon), tends to a small stable of animals, and meets his best mate Colm (Gleeson) regularly for pints at the local pub. That is, until the day Colm announces that he no longer wants to get pints, ever again. Life is too short, and Pádraic is too dull; Colm would prefer to be left alone with his dog and his fiddle, and maybe write a piece of music that actually means something before he dies. This abrupt change of heart isn't just bewildering for Pádraic, it's entirely destabilizing. Who is he, if not the man who gets pints with Colm?

Banshees , with its Kelly-green vistas, warbled shanties, and blithe obscenities ("feck" is a noun, an adjective, and sometimes a verb),could easily come off as the kind of Irish burlesque we've seen many times before; instead, the movie turns out to invert cliché as much as it embraces it. Inisherin may not be a hotbed for making new friends, but it's still a place rife with outsize characters: the local "idjit," Dominic ( Dunkirk 's puckish Barry Keoghan ) and his abusive constable father (Gary Lydon); the blustery parish priest (David Pearse); an elderly neighbor so wizened and witchy she looks like she might have once shared a staff with Gandalf. Their dialogue unfurls in Mcdonagh's signature rhythms, a sort of profane poetry that skitters between farce and calamity, often within the same sentence.

The cast tasked with it is masterful, from Keoghan's holy fool to Condon's long-suffering Siobhán, a nervy, sharp-witted woman stranded in a sea of petty grievances and grown adolescents. Farrell — alternately bruised, defiant, achingly sincere, and also very funny — wears the sum of his years here with fresh significance; he's still almost obscenely handsome, but there's a depth of feeling that could only come from lived experience, and a tender, shaggy gravitas in Gleeson too. Their falling out, of course, is not just about pints, or Pádraic's little house donkey that he keeps by his side like a border collie. To be corny, which the film (due in theaters Oct. 21) is decidedly not, it's about life: the brevity of it, the risks we do or don't take, who we choose to share it with in the end. And for all the gall, absurdity, and outright threats of physical violence, it's pretty feckin' wonderful. Grade: A–

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Movie review: 'the banshees of inisherin'.

Bob Mondello

Writer and director Martin McDonagh reunited with "In Bruges" stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in his new drama-comedy, "The Banshees of Inisherin."

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Review: In buddy breakup drama ‘The Banshees of Inisherin,’ all’s Farrell in love and war

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It’s hardly an original insight to note that “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Martin McDonagh’s caustic and mournful new movie, is also his latest work to give its location top billing. Longtime admirers of this British-Irish writer-director’s stage work know his fondness for regionally specific titles like “The Cripple of Inishmaan” and “The Lieutenant of Inishmore,” two plays that — together with this film — form a loosely connected trilogy, tied together not by common characters but by common ground. If character is destiny in McDonagh’s work, then both are also inextricably tied to location and landscape. Here, as before, he draws us into an insular Irish enclave, where the air is thick with salty insults and bitter laughs, and cruelty seems to well up from the soil like highly acidic groundwater.

Which is not to suggest that Ireland — either the country of McDonagh’s firsthand experience or the one of his fictional imagination — has a monopoly on cruelty. That much is clear from his farther-flung plays, like “A Behanding in Spokane,” and also from his movies such as “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and “In Bruges.” That 2008 comedy’s co-leads, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, are superbly reunited in “The Banshees of Inisherin,” only this time, rather than playing two hit men on a less-than-idyllic Belgian holiday, they’re playing longtime best friends who have never known any home beyond Inisherin. And from our first glimpse of this small, fictional island, with its lush greenery and not-infrequent rainbows (beautifully filmed by Ben Davis), that might not seem like such a bad state of affairs.

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By movie’s end, we know better. The year is 1923, and in the distance the Irish civil war is raging, providing some blunt yet hazy thematic scaffolding for this more intimate tale of men in conflict. The beauty of Inisherin will soon turn sour and corrosive, much like the once-harmonious friendship between Pádraic Súilleabháin (Farrell), a sweet-souled dairy farmer, and Colm Doherty (Gleeson), a gruff, gimlet-eyed fiddle player. In the opening scene, Pádraic sets out to meet Colm for their usual afternoon pint, only to find the man sitting at home, his back to the window, quietly ignoring Pádraic’s knocks and entreaties. Can a man scowl not just with his face but with his entire hulking frame? Somehow, Gleeson manages.

Bewildered by this silent treatment, Pádraic remains unperturbed — surely it must be some sort of joke or misunderstanding — and refuses to accept that the friendship is over, even after Colm later spells it out for him down at the pub: “I just don’t like ya no more.” After a pause that lasts a small eternity, Pádraic responds, with a mix of confusion, disbelief and heartache that Farrell plays to perfection: “Ya do like me!” And the funny thing is, he’s right. Colm’s abrupt decision stems not from a lack of affection but a lack of time: Gripped by despair and newly aware of his encroaching mortality, he wants to live out his days playing and composing music, the only thing that provides him with any semblance of comfort or meaning. He also wants to consume his last pints in peace, away from Pádraic’s incessant yammering.

Incessant yammering, of course, is one unflattering if essentially correct way to describe McDonagh’s own flavorsome dialogue, which uses staccato rhythms and purposeful word repetitions to generate a sustained back-and-forth almost as musical as Carter Burwell’s lovely score. Apart from “feck,” the favored expletive of this early 20th century Irish milieu, the script’s most frequently deployed four-letter words are “dull” and “nice,” two words that are often hurled in Pádraic’s direction. Agreeable and simple-minded, Pádraic gets along with just about everyone, from his sharp-as-a-tack sister, Siobhan (a flat-out wonderful Kerry Condon), to the animals placed in his reliable care. (None of the latter is more beloved than his miniature donkey, Jenny, the most important member of the movie’s splendid four-legged ensemble.)

Colm’s rejection of Pádraic is also, in its way, a rejection of the tyranny of niceness, and an assertion that greatness — whether in the form of a Mozart symphony or, God willing, the humbler violin piece he’s trying to compose — is of far greater value. All of which opens up a rich, thorny dialogue concerning McDonagh himself, who likes to blur the lines between humanism and nihilism, and who in “The Banshees of Inisherin” comes perhaps as close to greatness as he’s ever gotten. One measure of the movie’s skill, and its generosity, is that it embraces the wisdom of both its protagonists. You’ll share Colm’s exasperation and defend his right to pursue an unimpeded life of music and the mind, but you’ll also concede Pádraic’s point that kindness and camaraderie leave behind their own indelible if often invisible legacies.

Muddying the waters still further: Colm, despite his strict enforcement of boundaries (including a not-so-idle threat to harm himself if Pádraic doesn’t leave him alone), nonetheless finds ways to treat his hapless former friend with decency and compassion. Meanwhile, Pádraic, for all his talk of niceness, is the one whose escalating harassment of Colm takes on menacing overtones, lubricated by whiskey, desperation and anger. To watch these two characters rage against each other is to acquire an entirely new understanding of what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. And no one ultimately understands that dynamic better than Siobhan, who — as both Pádraic’s loyal, loving sister and the one person on Inisherin who can keep intellectual pace with Colm — could hardly be more divided in her sympathies.

Siobhan’s presence — and her own fiercely individual decisionmaking — opens up another dialectic. Although centered on the conflict between two equally unyielding men, the movie is no less about the tension between a small, isolated community and the vast world that lies beyond its overcast horizon. Mocked by the provincial townfolk for being single and bookish, Siobhan is eyeing her own possible escape. And who can blame her? “The Banshees of Inisherin,” like much of McDonagh’s earlier work, uses its physically remote setting to map out an entire human cosmos of greed, spite and self-delusion, populated by characters including a gossipy shopkeeper (Bríd Ní Neachtain), a physically abusive policeman (Gary Lydon), a witchy prophesier of doom (Sheila Flitton) and, on the more likable side, a village idiot named Dominic (Barry Keoghan).

Colin Farrell doesn’t have many ‘true friends.’ But Brendan Gleeson is one

From ‘In Bruges’ to ‘Saturday Night Live,’ the ‘Banshees of Inisherin’ co-stars have never had a problem picking up where they left off.

Oct. 19, 2022

With the exception of Dominic, a perpetual troublemaker whom Keoghan invests with wit, mischief and unexpected pathos, none of these peripheral characters reveals more than one or two dimensions. If “The Banshees of Inisherin” marks a significant improvement on the wildly uneven “Three Billboards,” it still doesn’t entirely shake off some of the reflexively glib, cynical aspects of McDonagh’s writing, namely his tendency to reduce some of his characters to one-note personalities, or to make them the butt of cruel comic (and sometimes cosmic) punchlines. They are the playthings of a God who dispenses punishments with a whimsical, even arbitrary hand, and whom few of these habitual churchgoers — maybe not even the meddlesome priest (David Pearse) who’s enlisted to mediate the central conflict — ultimately really trusts or believes in.

And so Colm is only right to be consumed with despair. Which doesn’t make Pádraic wrong to assume that there are salves for life’s woes, and that he might, in fact, be one of them. Farrell’s performance, one of the finest he’s ever given, is a balm in itself, a thing of rough-hewn simplicity and exquisite delicacy, nailing comic beats and striking emotional chords with the same deft touch. Without ever turning leaden or oppressive, he shows us a man who isn’t the same by movie’s end, who’s experienced more loss, fury and grief than he’d ever thought possible. All he can count on anymore, really, is the ground beneath his feet — and in that respect at least, McDonagh suggests, he may be far less alone than he realizes.

‘The Banshees of Inisherin’

Rated: R, for language throughout, some violent content and brief graphic nudity Running time: 1 hour, 54 minutes Playing: Starts Oct. 21 at AMC the Grove, Los Angeles; AMC Century City

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The Banshees Of Inisherin Review

21 Oct 2022

The Banshees Of Inisherin

How do you break up with a best friend? It’s a good question, tackled brilliantly by Seinfeld way back in its first season. After all, the rules of social disengagement are pretty clear when it comes to sexual relationships, even more so when they involve divorce. But separating from a buddy you just don’t like anymore? When the pair of you live on a small, scantily populated island with only one pub? How do you go about that?

In Martin McDonagh ’s world, the answer is: brutally. After resolving to dissolve his friendship with the dependable but dull Pádraic ( Colin Farrell ), Colm ( Brendan Gleeson ) bluntly tells his ex-friend he doesn’t want talk to him or drink with him ever again. No explanation given. No attempt made to soften the blow. Of course, if you’re familiar with writer-director McDonagh’s previous film work, from In Bruges to Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri , such tactlessness should come as no surprise — McDonagh’s scripts are so abrasive, you could use them as sandpaper. So the focus of the film is less on Colm’s decision, and more on Pádraic’s reaction, not to mention the impact it has on his “limited” (another character’s word, not ours) life.

Farrell is fantastic, delivering one of his best-ever performances.

Ironically, for a story about a friendship-wreck, The Banshees Of Inisherin is also a reunion: of McDonagh with the double act that made the hitman antics of In Bruges such a piquant treat. However, Farrell and Gleeson don’t spend nearly as much time on screen together here, for self-evident reasons. It’s a shame, in a small way, but it does add to the pervading sense of wrongness.

Colm is largely inscrutable, despite the occasional revelation of sorts, and the odd flash of kindliness. McDonagh never fully reveals what drives him to the Pádraic-alienating extremes he goes to later in the film, and that makes him the more emotionally distant of the two men.

This is primarily Pádraic’s story; the tale of a good, decent fella who, through an enforced process of self-examination, finds and embraces other, sharper facets to his personality. Farrell is fantastic in the role, delivering one of his best-ever performances. He takes on a kind of sagging anti-charisma, a seeming guilelessness which he initially plays for laughs, but then gradually and convincingly brews into something much darker.

Complementing him perfectly is Kerry Condon as Pádraic’s savvy sister, Siobhan. Her exasperation at her brother’s response to Colm’s ultra-dick move is thoroughly relatable, and you’ll welcome every moment she spends on screen. Siobhan also evokes the most sympathy as a woman who has clearly, desperately outgrown this cliff- edged, wall-scarred speck of an island — a realisation only underlined by the clumsy amorous attentions of Barry Keoghan’s damaged youth, Dominic, a character that sadly gets the shortest narrative shrift of the bunch.

The drama may be intimate, but the backdrop feels epic.

Tenderly scored by Carter Burwell and gorgeously shot by cinematographer Ben Davis — the drama may be intimate, but the backdrop feels epic — The Banshees Of Inisherin is a film whose unhurried pace never drags. It is, we suppose, McDonagh’s gentlest offering yet (and the fact that his gentlest film involves acts of mutilation says a lot about his other work). That said, you could also argue it is his first war movie. And not just because it is set during the Irish Civil War of 1922-23, which is heard raging just a few miles across the water. After all, Colm and Pádraic’s split is really just that war in microcosm. The causes are obscure and confusing, the emerging conflict escalates fast, the previously close participants employ tactics that would have once been unthinkable. And the after-effects will be felt for years to come.

McDonagh has never been one for neat resolutions, so it’s not giving anything away to say that we’re denied one here, too. This is no bromantic-comedy, and you really shouldn’t be hoping for any feel-good vibes (though there are plenty of laughs, if your humour verges on the dark side). But the film is engrossing and beautifully mounted, and is sure to not disappoint anyone who’s enjoyed McDonagh’s previous rough rides.

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Whimsy and Violence in “The Banshees of Inisherin”

By Anthony Lane

Friendship, on film, can be broken by many things. For Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin, in “ The Social Network ” (2010), the issue is “Who owns how much of Facebook?” In the case of Tony Stark vs. Steve Rogers, in “ Captain America: Civil War ” (2016), it’s a question of “Should the Avengers submit to an authority beyond themselves?”And, in “ Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith ” (2005), when Obi-Wan Kenobi sabres off two legs and one arm from Anakin Skywalker, like somebody carving a chicken, there’s no hiding the bone of contention: “Which of us, in signing up for this dialogue, was the bigger Jedi schmuck?”

In each instance, the casus belli is complicated stuff. How refreshing, then, to meet Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson), in Martin McDonagh’s new film, “The Banshees of Inisherin,” which is set in 1923. Sitting outside a pub, with a pint, Colm looks at Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell), who is—or was, until now—his best pal, and says, “I just don’t like you no more.” Simplicity itself. For Pádraic, indeed, the statement is too simple by half. “You do like me,” he replies, in a tone at once beseeching and befuddled. His smile wavers and fails. The movie is minutes old, and already the rupture is complete.

If Pádraic seems nonplussed, that may be because his life, hitherto, has been particularly plussed. On the beautiful (and imaginary) island of Inisherin, off the coast of Ireland, where parcels of green land are neatly divided by drystone walls, he shares a little house with his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon). Like children, they still sleep in the same room, and, like everyone else in the story, they are, though poor, decked in item after item of suspiciously lovely knitwear. We have a good idea of Pádraic’s typical day. He gets up and lets the donkey in, pretty much as you or I would let the cat out. (The donkey, Jenny, played by Jenny, who comes up to Pádraic’s waist, is the most contented and the saddest character onscreen.) Porridge is served. Pádraic herds his handful of cattle down a track, in a desultory fashion. So much for work. As two o’clock strikes, he heads to the pub, where the landlord, Jonjo (Pat Shortt), uncorks a bottle of stout. An ideal existence, crowned by epic chats with Colm. And now the crown has fallen.

As to what follows, admirers of McDonagh will know what to expect: a dark and measured whimsy, borne by its own momentum into violence. Jokes that get stuck in the throat. Such was the pattern established by “In Bruges” (2008) and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017). Before them came “The Lieutenant of Inishmore,” a play that opened in 2001, in which a man called Mad Pádraic travels to the island of Inishmore and, enraged by reports of the death of his cat, Wee Thomas, commits multiple murders. The turf that is trodden by the latest film, in other words, is not entirely fresh. We are not altogether surprised when Colm declares that, if Pádraic won’t leave him in peace, he will take a pair of garden shears and snip off his own fingers, one by one. The threat, we soon discover, is not idle. Even a Jedi would flinch.

The danger of so ominous a setup is that it can harden into the schematic. Something of the sort occurs as McDonagh presents us with the minor characters. Each of them, in turn, intensifies the comedy of menace. We get the local policeman, Peadar Kearney (Gary Lydon), who punches Pádraic, right on the dockside, and leaves him in tears; a mean man of God (David Pearse); and Kearney’s son, Dominic (Barry Keoghan), who hungers for female company, and is mentally a notch or two below the other inhabitants. (Mind you, his is the sharpest reaction to Colm’s intransigence: “What is he, twelve?”) There is also a pipe-smoking crone, Mrs. McCormick (Sheila Flitton), who prophesies doom. She is funny, but her divinations have the smack of a skit—“I wasn’t trying to be nice, I was trying to be accurate”—and, when Pádraic calls her “you feckin’ nutbag,” it’s hard to disagree.

From Inisherin, you can see the mainland in the distance, and, occasionally, hear the crackle of gunfire. The Irish Civil War is in its bitter final act. One evening, Kearney reveals that his presence is required across the water. “The Free State lads are executing a couple of the I.R.A. lads,” he says. Pause. “Or is it the other way around?” That note of weary confusion is all too believable; less persuasive is McDonagh’s effort to frame the private hostilities on Inisherin as a parable of the larger conflict. “I think they’re coming to the end of it,” Colm says. Pádraic replies, “I’m sure they’ll be at it again soon enough, aren’t you?” But the parallel doesn’t hold. The black humor of the two men’s bilious relationship, finally arriving at what you might call a tiffhanger, arises from the fact that it’s founded on next to nothing—a grumpy grievance. The combatants on the mainland, by contrast, have fought over matters of fiery political principle, torn by their differing visions of how that land should be constituted and run. Colm wants to be left alone to play his fiddle. Ireland is burning.

What animates “The Banshees of Inisherin” and saves it from stiffness is the clout of the performances. Within the oxlike Colm, thanks to Gleeson, we glimpse a ruminative despair, and Farrell adds Pádraic to his gallery of heroes so hapless that they forfeit all claim to the heroic. The movie, however, belongs to Condon, familiar to viewers of “Rome” and “Better Call Saul,” on TV, and now, at last, given her cinematic due. She adds a snap of anger, never dour but zestful and vivifying, to the role of Siobhán, making her so much more than a go-between, or a foil. When Colm complains that Pádraic is dull, she hits back:

“But he’s always been dull. What’s changed?” “I’ve changed. I just don’t have a place for dullness in me life anymore.” “But you live on an island off the coast of Ireland, Colm—what the hell are you hopin’ for, like?”

Later, she cautions her brother against all that remains for him in Inisherin: “bleakness and grudges and loneliness and spite.” That is not the wail of a banshee. It is the voice of modern exasperation—of anyone, anywhere, who has had enough of hatreds, great and small, and who chooses adventure over atavism. No wonder Siobhán ends up packing a suitcase. To her, the men of the island are barely more than boys, “all feckin’ boring,” scrapping uselessly in their soft green playground. She is a grown woman, and she wants out.

No fingers are sheared off in “Aftersun,” the début feature from the Scottish director Charlotte Wells. Nobody is abducted, shot, or, despite the many scenes that are filmed underwater, drowned. All that happens is that a Scotsman, Calum (Paul Mescal), goes on vacation with his daughter, Sophie (Frankie Corio), to a Turkish resort, where they talk, swim, paste themselves in mud, and briefly bicker. That’s it. But a shimmer of vulnerability hangs over the tale like a heat haze.

Sophie has recently turned eleven, and Corio poises her, with startling assurance, on the threshold between unknowing and knowing. Awkwardness jostles with a heedless grace. Sophie receives her first kiss from a boy, sips her dad’s beer, and greets with scorn his suggestion that she team up with some other children, at the pool. “They’re, like, kids ,” she says. As for Calum, he looks youthful enough to be mistaken, at one point, for her older brother; you can’t help but reflect on how painfully young he must have been when she was born. Nowadays, as we gather from their conversation, she lives with her mother, from whom Calum is separated. That is why this holiday, a rare haven of togetherness for him and Sophie, feels both casual and intense.

The movie is set in the nineteen-nineties, and what counts are not the fixtures and fittings of the era—Walkmans, functioning phone booths, and Blur’s “Tender,” with its chorus of “Come on, come on, come on”—so much as the emotional charge that they emit. The first sound we hear is the whirr and click of a tape; Sophie films Calum, on a camcorder, going out onto the balcony of their hotel room, and Wells is forever shuffling between images of varying texture, including video footage and strobes. It’s as if she were grabbing at memories on the fly.

Rumors of something remarkable have circled around “Aftersun” since its première, at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and guess what? The rumors are true. Somehow, Wells retains control of her unstable material, and the result, though intimate, guards its secrets well. We get glances ahead to Sophie’s future, in which, as an adult, she views evidence of the long-ago vacation, and more piercing still are the flickers of Calum’s past. “When you were eleven, what did you think you would be doing now?” Sophie asks him, and the innocent question tips him into a trough of inexplicable woe; we see him from behind, seated on the bed, his bare torso heaving with sobs. Sophie is everywhere in the movie, but it’s not just about the quiet blaze of her childhood. It’s about the ghost of his. ♦

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'The Banshees of Inisherin' review: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson bring friendly fire to dark comedy

Most folks can relate to the emotional doom spiral of a romantic interest suddenly ghosting them out of nowhere. But there’s nothing worse than the thought of a trusted best friend telling you to take a hike and wanting to cut off all contact.

Writer/director Martin McDonagh ’s dazzling dark comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin” (★★★½ out of four; rated R; in theaters and streaming on HBO Max) takes this universal conceit, set on a remote Irish island in 1923, to hilarious and extraordinarily bleak places. The “In Bruges” duo of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson reteam to give understandable humanity to two friends with a permanent wedge between them. And Farrell, especially, offers one of his most nuanced performances as a nice guy driven to extremes because of forced loneliness.

Happy-go-lucky Pádraic (Farrell) goes about his day like any other on the fictional isle of Inisherin – caring for his miniature donkey and other animals, bantering with his sister Siobhán (a scrappy Kerry Condon) and heading to the local pub for a midafternoon pint with his buddy, Colm (Gleeson). Colm, an older man, tells him to sit somewhere else, and eventually takes his drink outside. Pádraic wants to know what’s up with the rebuff, and he’s not excited by Colm’s answer: “I just don’t like you anymore.”

'Banshees of Inisherin': Why broken friendships hit home for stars Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson

Colm explains that he no longer has time for Pádraic’s “aimless chatting” and just wants his former BFF to leave him alone so he can play his fiddle and live his life in peace and quiet. Spurred on by this suddenly fractured friendship – and the fact that everyone’s thrown, including Siobhán and Dominic (the delightfully excitable  Barry Keoghan ), the locale's capricious voice of reason – Pádraic keeps bugging Colm to find out what he can do to fix things. This bothers Colm even more, to the point where he threatens to start cutting off his fingers if Pádraic won’t leave him alone. Both men are on the stubborn side, and take this feud to unfortunate, violent lengths.

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McDonagh, who splendidly captured another community in turmoil with 2017's best-picture nominee “ Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ,” insightfully sets “Banshees” during the Irish Civil War: Residents of Inisherin frequently see skirmishes occurring on the mainland, while a more intimate battle escalates around them. Even though they live on a glorious and expansive landscape, these people are all up in each other’s business constantly, so everybody has a stake in Pádraic and Colm’s uncivil row, from Dominic’s abusive cop dad (Gary Lydon) to a witchy elderly woman (Sheila Flitton) who may or may not be a banshee herself. (For those unfamiliar, a banshee is a female spirit in Irish folklore who foretells death.) 

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There is a certain heightened reality to the goings-on that belies how grounded the film is in its themes of isolation, desperation and mortality. Its characters pick sides, but the film doesn’t, and while it’s told mostly from Pádraic’s brokenhearted perspective, you clearly see each man’s point of view.

Pádraic is gobsmacked to lose his closest friend; Colm yearns to leave some sort of artistic legacy; and others, like Siobhán – who’s by far the smartest person on the island – are left to choose between picking up the pieces or looking out for themselves.

'The Banshees of Inisherin'): All the best movies we saw at Toronto Film Festival, ranked

Condon and Keoghan give “Banshees” extra personality and verve, while Farrell and Gleeson are the two halves of its beating heart. It’s hard to hate Colm because of the world-weary depth Gleeson lends him – plus, he has a ridiculously cute dog that plays a vital role in the film’s memorable endgame. And Farrell brings a lovable underdog nature to Pádraic that doesn’t let him off the hook for his questionable actions.

“Banshees” masterfully explores the complications of a platonic friendship – when old pals stop being polite and start getting real – with a sailor’s mouth and a mix of hilarity and tragedy in one wail of a tale. 

Movies | What to watch: ‘Bridgerton’ is back,…

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Movies | What to watch: ‘Bridgerton’ is back, saucier than ever

And then there’s the metaphorical, trance-like “I Saw the TV Glow.”

Here’s our roundup.

“Bridgerton Season 3”: Will that shrewd purveyor of Regency-era gossip — Lady Whistledown (voice of Julie Andrews) —  finally get her comeuppance and be unmasked as the one and only Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan)? That’s the question dangling over Netflix’s extra-spicy third season, which has the audacity of giving us a cliffhanger, albeit one you can foresee from the start of the first episode, before Part 2 resumes June 13.

Oh, dearest readers, the injustice of that!

The big wedge — there’s always at least one — between Season 3’s two main lovers comes from Penelope not ‘fessing up about her double life as the feared anonymous missive writer Whistledown or her own crush on suitor Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton, more than fulfilling the hunk and acting requirements). As in previous seasons, much happens away from the fumbling about of its two starry-eyed lovebirds, and proves just as interesting, including the unresolved dustup between Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Penelope, a welcome love interest (finally!) for Violet Bridgerton (the enchanting Ruth Gemmell), the reappearance of the so-in-love Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) from Season 2, and my personal favorite — a cnew character, the introvert Lord John Stirling (Victor Alli), who takes a quite the shine to Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd). Toss in an invitation to engage in a threesome, and this racier season, which, of course, is resplendent with gorgeous costumes, period details and classical-contemporary music, is just as much of a great escape from wretched reality as, says, a corker of a romance novel. Details: 3 stars out of 4; four episodes drop May 16, four more drop June 13.

“Babes”: When presented as a comedy and even sometimes as a drama, portrayals of pregnancy and motherhood tend to get sanitized, even idealized. That’s not the case with this hilarious, uninhibited comedy about two New York best friends — single yoga teacher Eden (Ilana Glazer, who co-wrote the screenplay with Josh Rabinowitz ) and married dentist Dawn (Michelle Buteau) — dealing with the pangs and joys of both as their friendship gets tested. Eden is needier than Dawn and overly relies on her to be there every step of her pregnancy since the father of her unborn child died just after conception. Director Pamela Adlon navigates a raucous screenplay that robustly brings up lactation, sexual urges when pregnant and babysitting fails (one of the biggest laughs pertains to “The Omen”). But beyond those laughs and a suspension of belief (a yoga salary could cover the rent of that New York apartment?), there are authentic and beyond-the-standard observations and interactions here. That is particularly true when Eden meets with her casually and conditionally involved father (Oliver Platt). Those revealing scenes and the relatable, anything-goes exchanges between Glazer and Buteau and Buteau and Hasan Minhaj — acing his part as Dawn’s very likable husband — make “Babes” a rather revolutionary comedy that is a big bundle of joy (and lactation) from start to finish. Details: 3½ stars; in theaters May 17.

“Back to Black”: The short, turbulent life of talented British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse, who died at 27 in 2021 from alcohol poisoning, remains seared in the public’s consciousness, perhaps due to the incessant paparazzi that hounded and humiliated her at every move. And that’s part of the reason why director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s biopic starring a committed Anna Marsh seems unnecessary, adding little of anything new to the story while holding back even when it addresses the ugly side of being in the public eye. To its credit, “Back to Black” never feels exploitative and regards its subject respectfully. But the storytelling is disjointed and cycles through important markers in life — her ascendancy, her recording sessions, her volatile relationship and marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil (Jack O’Connell, giving his all in a narrowly focused role) and her untimely demise — without accomplishing much more than reminding us of how horribly sad this all is. We knew that going in. Details: 2 stars; in theaters May 17.

“The Blue Angels”: The aerial acrobatics of the Blue Angels — the Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron that’s again set to dazzle Bay Area spectators Oct. 11-Oct. 13 during Fleet Week — are indeed a sight to behold and experience, either firsthand or on IMAX. And those scenes are the high point of Amazon MGM Studios’ ordinary documentary about them. It’s when director Paul Crowder’s salute to this team touches ground that it loses all of its momentum and energy, offering a cursory, one-dimensional look at the service people behind this tireless program. When it’s up in the air, it does soar. Details: 2 stars; opens May 17 in IMAX theaters and May 23 on Prime.

“I Saw the TV Glow”: A generic synopsis explaining what writer/director Jane Schoenbrun’s unconventional sophomore feature is all about would do it a disservice. That’s because Schoenbrun’s metaphorical genre blender feels like it’s going to stay in the popular coming-of-age lane, and then detours into bold, original directions. Schoenbrun’s trance-like storytelling — their calling card —  centers on two suburban ‘90s teens. There’s  uncertain Owen (Ian Foreman first and later Justice Smith, in his best, most soul-wrenching performance yet) and rebellious teen Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), who bond over an obsessed-about and cheesy TV series titled “The Pink Opaque.” Laden with pop-culture references (from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” to “Twin Peaks”) and actors/musicians (Fred Durst and Phoebe Bridgers), “I Saw the TV Glow”  captures the awkward, outcast feeling of finding more meaning and context within a TV show than one’s life struggling to break free from an assigned gender and identity that isn’t who one is inside. Details: 3½ stars, in select theaters,  expanding May 17 into additional theaters.

“Bodkin”: Neither too dark nor too light, this seven-episode Netflix mystery series makes a enjoyable watch and opens the door for a season 2. (I’d walk through it). But by no means does it approach the twisted brilliance of a quirky movie or play from Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), which it seems to want to emulate. That Oscar winner juggles humor and tragedy expertly, while this Higher Grounds Production (the Obamas production company) drops the ball occasionally on both. You won’t care since it’s the three central characters and the actors who portray them that pick them up  and put them back up in the air and keep us engaged. Lafayette native Will Forte stars as out-of-his-element American podcaster Gilbert who gets in over his head (no surprise) when he and his assistant Emmy (Robyn Cara) enlist the aid of bullish and under-investigation journalist Dove (Siobhan Cullen) to investigate the disappearance of three Bodkin townspeople during an annual celebration. The town isn’t so happy about them being there. There are numerous red herrings and even nuns doing yoga. Maybe next time – if there is indeed a next time – the case itself will be juicier. Details: 2½ stars; now available on Netflix.

Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].

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BE SHUSH LIKE!  This week we talk about the hilarious Best Musical/Comedy winner at the 2023 Golden Globes, The Banshees of Inisherin. Join us in examining how absolutely funny this comedy truly is.  Spoilers for the whole movie lie ahead 3  Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/thehumbleoscar/  https://letterboxd.com/allenmichael/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/blamethemoviez Intro and Outro music composed by Sandra Singlaterry - https://youtube.com/@sandys5231

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Streaming on Max: The 21 Absolute Best Movies to Watch

Here are some highly rated films to check out, plus a look at what's new in May.

Turtles All the Way Down adapts the 2017 novel by John Green.

Wondering what you should watch on the Max streaming service ?

Max  replaced HBO Max last year and streams a variety of titles, including Warner Bros. movies like Dune and HBO originals like Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off. Below, you'll find a batch of can't-miss films on the streamer, plus a look at new releases for this month. (If you're still trying to figure out if Max is for you, skim  our review of the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service ).

New releases for May

Note:  These descriptions are taken from Max press releases and lightly edited for style.

• Turtles All the Way Down  (2024):  Romantic drama. The film tackles anxiety through its 17-year-old protagonist, Aza Holmes. 
• Stop Making Sense (2023 rerelease):  It's the 1984 Talking Heads concert film directed by renowned filmmaker Jonathan Demme, newly restored in 4K to coincide with its 40th anniversary.
• The Iron Claw (2024):  Sports drama. The film tells the true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.
• Nikki Glaser: Someday You'll Die  (2023):  Comedy special. Glaser dives into a wide range of topics, including why she doesn't want kids, the harsh realities of aging, her sexual fantasies, and plans for her own death.
• MoviePass, MovieCrash (2010):  Documentary. The film is about MoviePass, which in a span of eight years went from being the fastest growing subscription service since Spotify to total bankruptcy.

Read more:   Best TV Shows to Watch on Max

The best movies to watch

The films below consist of notable new releases and blockbusters, HBO and Max originals and Warner Bros. films made exclusively for Max . All score around 65 or higher on Metacritic.

Turtles All the Way Down (2024)

Don't usually dabble in the young adult genre? You shouldn't let that keep you from taking in Turtles All the Way Down, based on a 2017 novel of the same name by John Green. The film stars Isabela Merced (Madame Web, upcoming sci-fier Alien: Romulus) as a teen who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety. With elements of romance and a captivating performance from Merced, this straight-to-streaming movie deserves more attention.

Priscilla (2023)

Sofia Coppola's Priscilla, about the relationship between Priscilla and Elvis Presley, is streaming on Max along with other recent films from entertainment company A24. Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi star in the stylish flick, which tells things from Priscilla's point of view. If you like new A24 flicks, Max's stash also includes The Iron Claw, The Zone of Interest and Dream Scenario (Love Lies Bleeding and Civil War will hit the streamer eventually).

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Avatar: The Way of Water reintroduced audiences to James Cameron's film franchise after 13 years and won an Oscar for best visual effects. The sequel centers on the Sully family -- Jake, Neytiri and their kids -- and is brimming with adventure and heart. It'll be  at least a couple of years  until Avatar 3 arrives, but you can pass the time by rewatching this on Max.

The Fallout (2022)

After a shooting occurs at her high school, 16-year-old Vada Cavell must navigate friendships, school and her relationship with her family. The Fallout skillfully approaches serious subject matter with realistic dialogue and compassion for its characters. With strong performances from stars Jenna Ortega, as Vada, and Maddie Ziegler, as her new friend Mia Reed, the feature will keep you glued to the screen for the entirety of its 90-minute runtime.

Dune (2021)

Remember 2021, when Warner Bros. movies hit HBO Max on the same day they premiered in theaters? That exciting period may be over, but at least we'll always have the memory of watching Denis Villeneuve's stunning sci-fi epic Dune at home. If you've never seen the film or need to brush up on what "the spice" is before Part Two, stream Dune now.

King Richard (2021)

King Richard is a feel-good biopic about the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. The film winds back the clock to before the sisters became household names, giving us a glimpse of their upbringing in Compton and time spent practicing on run-down courts with their father, Richard Williams (Will Smith). Convinced his daughters are going to be successful, Richard works tirelessly to get their star potential noticed by professional coaches. A complicated man with a tremendous personality, Richard is fascinating to get to know, and his unwavering belief in Venus and Serena is inspiring. 

Son of Monarchs (2020)

A rare (nowadays) 90-minute film, American Mexican drama Son of Monarchs will stay with you long after the end credits roll. This deep character study follows two brothers who are changed in markedly different ways by the trauma they suffered in childhood. This story, folding in magical realism, follows how they move forward in life -- the butterfly metaphors are strong, with biologist Mendel returning to his hometown surrounded by majestic monarch butterfly forests.

Bad Education (2019)

Based on a magazine article by journalist Robert Kolker, this tale about a public school embezzlement scandal and the student journalists who broke the news is captivating from start to finish. Allison Janney and Hugh Jackman are great in their roles as the school officials who took part in the scheme. The drama also won the 2020 Emmy award for Outstanding Television Movie. 

Wonka (2023)

Dune's Timothée Chalamet stars in this prequel to Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and it's a total treat. With new and familiar tunes, a committed cast and oodles and oodles of whimsy, the film allows audiences to get to know a young Willy Wonka with giraffe-sized ambition and undeniable chocolate-making skill. It's a quirky, comforting flick from Paddington director Paul King that you'll absolutely want on your plate.

Barbie (2023)

Unless you've been living in Barbie Land (or another place that isn't the real world), chances are you're very familiar with this pink-coated comedy already. The flick -- Warner Bros.' highest-grossing global release of all time -- brings a long list of stars together for a hilarious and heartfelt adventure. Greta Gerwig directs, Margot Robbie plays the titular role, and Ryan Gosling belts out an incredible power ballad as Ken.

Father of the Bride (2022)

Max's Father of the Bride introduces a Cuban American family that includes patriarch Billy, a traditional guy who struggles to digest surprising news from his eldest daughter: She's met a guy, and she wants to marry and move away with him. The third film adaptation of a 1949 novel of the same name by Edward Streeter, the movie is an enjoyable iteration that includes stars like Andy Garcia and singer Gloria Estefan.

Let Them All Talk (2020)

Meryl Streep playing an eccentric author in a Steven Soderbergh comedy. What more do you need to know? If you do want to know more: Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Alice Hughes (Streep) is struggling to finish her next book, chased by her literary agent (Gemma Chan). She boards a cruise ship with old friends, who inspired her best-known work. Tensions are strong. It looks great -- Soderbergh uses crisp, natural light -- and most of the dialogue is improvised. See how Dianne Wiest, Candice Bergen, Lucas Hedges and the rest of the impeccable cast have fun with that.

Kimi (2022)

Steven Soderbergh directs this engaging tech thriller set during the COVID-19 pandemic. Angela, a Seattle tech worker played by a neon blue-haired Zoë Kravitz, has agoraphobia, a fear that prevents her from making it past the front door of her apartment. But when she uncovers an unsettling recording while doing her job, she's pushed to make the leap. Kimi is a stylish thriller complete with eye-catching cinematography, a solid score and a protagonist you'll be rooting for.

No Sudden Move (2021)

A movie from Steven Soderbergh, the great director behind Erin Brockovich, Ocean's Eleven and, more recently, Logan Lucky? Twists, thrills and desperate characters populate this crime thriller set in 1950s Detroit. When a seemingly simple job gets out of hand, a group of criminals must work together to uncover what's really going on. Take in the incredible cast: Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, David Harbour, Jon Hamm and Amy Seimetz. While the plot can be a little convoluted and some won't be able to get past the fish-eye lens cinematography, Soderbergh's sense of humor and immersive direction make this crime caper an entertaining night in.

Documentary

All That Breathes (2022)

This captivating documentary is filled with images that will stick with you. It centers on two brothers in New Delhi who run a bird hospital dedicated to black kites -- birds of prey that are a staple of the sky. It was a contender for best documentary feature at the 2023 Oscars.

Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off (2022)

Tune into this HBO doc for the gravity-defying skateboard stunts, a time capsule of the '80s skateboarding scene, and a version of Hawk you've probably never seen. We get to know the renowned athlete as a lanky, stubborn but determined kid who adopted his own skateboarding style. Hawk's persistence is something to marvel at, along with all the stunning skateboard moves this film packs in. Hang on for a memorable ride.

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (2021)

This film about beloved author, chef and globe-traveling TV host Anthony Bourdain comes from documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville, who also directed 2018's Won't You Be My Neighbor? and the Oscar-winning film Twenty Feet from Stardom. In interviews with people who knew Bourdain, like his friends, former partners and longtime colleagues, the doc tracks his career path, relationships and personal struggles. Bourdain fans and those less acquainted with the star will likely appreciate this two-hour look at his life.

The Color Purple (2023)

This movie musical version of The Color Purple is adapted from Alice Walker's 1982 novel and the Broadway play. Set in the early 1900s, the film tells the story of Celie, a Black woman living in the South who faces multiple hardships but is able to find strength in the bonds in her life. The cast includes Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo, Halle Bailey and Danielle Brooks, who received a 2023 Oscar nomination for her role as Celie's daughter-in-law, Sofia.

In the Heights (2021)

In the Heights  stars Anthony Ramos (whom you might recognize as John Laurens in Hamilton) playing Usnavi, a bodega owner struggling to keep his business afloat while a heatwave strikes Washington Heights. Secretly in love with his neighbor Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), who dreams of getting out of the salon and out of the neighborhood, Usnavi serves the people of Washington Heights with a whole lot of love, lottery tickets and cafe con leche. Between the choreographed twirls and fireworks, In the Heights is an examination of wealth disparity, immigration, classism and the importance of culture.

The Batman (2022)

Robert Pattinson steps out as Batman in this moody superhero flick directed by Matt Reeves. The movie takes place in a perpetually gray and rain-soaked Gotham City, where Bruce Wayne starts to seek out a murderer with an affinity for riddles. Along the way, he meets Catwoman, played by a swaggering Zoë Kravitz. A satisfying dark mystery with great scene-setting and storytelling, The Batman is also getting a Max spinoff series, The Penguin, in 2024.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Over-the-top violence abounds in this DC film about supervillains who agree to help the US government in exchange for some time off their prison sentences. Their mission is to destroy something alluded to as Project Starfish, harbored in the fictional island country of Corto Maltese. With a notable cast that includes Margot Robbie, Idris Elba and John Cena, 2021's The Suicide Squad is a wickedly entertaining, darkly funny bloodbath that differs from what you usually see in superhero movies. (Peacemaker, a spinoff TV series, is also available on Max.)

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Banff sets “provocative” diversity panels featuring ‘schitt’s creek’ star emily hampshire & disney development director, ‘shang-chi’ star fala chen joins colin farrell & tilda swinton in ‘the ballad of a small player’.

By Andreas Wiseman

Andreas Wiseman

Executive Editor, International & Strategy

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Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire and Shang Chi: And The Legend Of The Ten Rings star Fala Chen is joining the previously announced Colin Farrell ( The Banshees of Inisherin ) and Tilda Swinton ( The Killer ) in Netflix and Ed Berger’s ( All Quiet On The Western Front ) upcoming feature The Ballad of a Small Player , we can reveal.

The story follows a high-stakes gambler who decides to lay low in Macau after his past and debts catch up with him. Along the way he encounters a kindred spirit who might just hold the key to his salvation. Production is due to start in Asia this summer.

The film marks the first project under Berger’s creative partnership and global first-look film deal with Netflix, via his company Nine Hours.

Alongside her big screen roles, rising actress Chen is also known for TV series Irma Vep and The Undoing .

Best known for his Oscar-winning work on Netflix’s  All Quiet on the Western Front,  Berger’s follow-up film  Conclave  bows in November.

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