The Banshees of Insherin

 "Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be' - she always called me Elwood - 'In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."  (Harvey, 1951)

The opening shots are a strong reminder of Craggy Island, all small enclosures and open seas.  And the equally fictional isle of Insherin has a range of characters just as bizarre as Father Ted has to contend with.  A busybody shopkeeper, a bullying policeman, a strange old woman making strange new prophecies, an echoing double act in the pub and a fine example of the village idiot.  It's early 1923, and over on the mainland men are killing one another in the civil war.  There's no shooting and explosions on Insherin, but that doesn't mean there isn't conflict.

Pádraig (Colin Farrell) turns up at the house of his friend Colm (Brendan Gleeson), as he does every day, so they can off to the pub together, as they do every day.  But not today.  Colm isn't coming, and his old pal has no idea why.  Have they been rowing?  He doesn't think so.  When the explanation comes it's simple enough.  Colm doesn't like Pádraig any more, doesn't want to listen to his endless babbling.  Life is short and he wants to do the things he'll be remembered for, like writing good fiddle tunes.  But that isn't so simple for Pádraig to accept.  His friendship with Colm was the best thing in his life and he won't let if go so easily.

It's a ridiculous situation, and the resulting comedy throws out plenty of funny lines that would have sat well on Craggy.  But the laughing is replaced by something much more sinister and, despite the efforts of Pádraig's smart sister Siobhan (Kerry Conlon), spirals out of control into tragedy.  The switch from drollness to darkness makes this very much a game of two halves. 

This is a story about much more than a battle of will between two men feeling pushed to their limits.  The intense nature of closed communities, the fragility of male friendship, existential mid life crises, the origins of feuds.  And the eternal question posed in that opening quotation - is it better to be clever or to be kind?  What's better for one may be worse for the other, but it's lack of compromise that destroys.

Strong performance from all the leads, Farrell especially impressive as a simple man struggling to understand bigger questions.  Good soundtrack too.  Laughter, sadness and meaning.  What more could you want from a movie?