The Banshees of Inisherin is a 2022 dark tragicomedy film directed, written, and co-produced by Martin McDonagh.Set on a remote, fictional island off the west coast of Ireland,[a] the film stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two lifelong friends who find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them; Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan also star. It reunites Farrell and Gleeson, who previously worked together on McDonagh's directorial debut, In Bruges (2008)

Directed by
Martin McDonagh
Written by
Martin McDonagh
Produced by
Graham Broadbent
Pete Czernin
Martin McDonagh
Starring
Colin Farrell
Brendan Gleeson
Kerry Condon
Barry Keoghan
Cinematography
Ben Davis[1]
Edited by
Mikkel E. G. Nielsen
Music by
Carter Burwell
Production
companies
Blueprint Pictures
Film4 Productions
TSG Entertainment
Distributed by
Searchlight Pictures
Release dates
5 September 2022 (Venice)
21 October 2022 (United Kingdom/United States)
Running time
114 minutes[2]
Countries
United Kingdom
United States
Language
English
Budget
$20 million[3]
Box office
$50.3 million[4][5]
The film had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2022, where Farrell won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and McDonagh won the Golden Osella for Best Screenplay.[12] It was theatrically released in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States on 21 October 2022 by Searchlight Pictures. The film received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise towards McDonagh's direction and screenplay, the performances of the cast, and Carter Burwell's score. It has grossed $50.03 million worldwide against a $20 million budget.

The Banshees of Inisherin received nine nominations at the 95th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Farrell), Best Supporting Actor (Gleeson and Keoghan), Best Supporting Actress (Condon), and Best Original Screenplay.[13][14][15] At the 80th Golden Globe Awards, it achieved three wins from eight nominations: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actor – Musical or Comedy (Farrell), and Best Screenplay.[16] Additionally, at the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards, the film received five nominations, alongside Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), tying the record for the most nominations, previously set by Shakespeare in Love (1998), Chicago (2002) and Doubt (2008).[17] It also won four BAFTA Awards from ten nominations: Outstanding British Film, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Keoghan), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Condon), and Best Original Screenplay.[18] The film was also named one of the Top Ten Films of 2022 by the National Board of Review.

At the tail end of the Irish Civil War in the spring of 1923, on the fictional Irish isle of Inisherin (whose name literally translates as "the island of Ireland"),[a][20][21] folk musician and fiddler Colm Doherty abruptly begins ignoring his lifelong best friend and drinking buddy Pádraic Súilleabháin. Colm has decided that Pádraic, dubbed "one of life's good guys" and respected by the islanders, is too dull for him, and he would rather spend the remainder of his life composing music and doing things for which he will be remembered. Pádraic's life is turned upside-down by the loss of his friend, and he refuses to accept the rejection, but Colm only becomes more resistant to his old friend's attempts to make amends. Colm eventually gives Pádraic an ultimatum: every time Pádraic comes to talk with him, Colm will cut off one of his own fingers. At this point, Pádraic wonders if Colm is ill (the local priest questions Colm about despair).

The local Garda, Peadar, beats his troubled and foolish son Dominic severely, and Pádraic and his sister Siobhán take Dominic in for a night. While delivering milk to the market, Pádraic is insulted by Peadar and retaliates by making public the fact that Peadar abuses his son. Peadar punches him to the ground. Having witnessed this, Colm puts Pádraic back in his wagon and drives him home; the two do not speak.

Though Siobhán and Dominic attempt to defuse the pair's feud, their efforts prove useless. Pádraic drunkenly confronts Colm in the pub over his lack of "niceness", also chastising Peadar over the fact that he molests Dominic. Colm remarks that this is the most interesting Pádraic has been, and mutters: "I think I like him again now." The next morning, not remembering what he has said, Pádraic attempts to apologise to Colm but the conversation goes badly and Colm responds by cutting off his left index finger and throwing it at Pádraic's door.

After Pádraic sees Colm meeting with a fiddler from the mainland, Pádraic tricks the fiddler into returning home by lying about his father being hit by a bread van. As the tensions worsen, local elder Mrs. McCormick warns Pádraic that death will come to the island soon. Meanwhile, Siobhán sympathetically rejects Dominic's romantic advances.