Duchy Inisherin

A pleasant, cruel conversational movie about the fact that sometimes you can simply hate your neighbour for no apparent reason. There isn’t anything especially deep about it; it’s just a pleasantly thick stout with white foam in the form of a great central duo and a setting that’s as hearty as its inhabitants. (14.01.2023)

McDonagh hasn't made a bad movie yet. He's a whiz at turning even an uninteresting premise into an ambitious work that will storm the Oscars. I was honestly worried, as this is his most intimate film without violence, but he still managed to win me over. We get the most out of the actors here! Colin Farrell – clear Oscar, Barry Keoghan – second Oscar. The landscape of the Irish countryside is amazing (I enjoyed the rough Irish slang too), it's just close to my heart and that can impress me. What's great though is the insanely bizarre black and bitter humour, I laughed really loud a few times and some of the lines are brutal, and that's what makes it just so great. “Wasn't it so much easier when we was all on the same side, and it was just the English we was killin'?” Good film. 80%. (21.12.2022)

The (un)official final part of the free trilogy from the Aran Islands. Of McDonagh’s works, this the closest to his theatre roots, which is a problem. McDonagh is a better writer than director and a better playwright than screenwriter, and as a film director, he tries to hide the distinct theatricality of the script, which is a mistake, it would be better if he accepted it for what it is. It is a minor detail, but coupled with the fact that it's not the best part of the trilogy, which also as a whole is overshadowed by the Leenan trilogy, means that The Bahsees of Inisherin feels like a tiny step backwards for McDonagh as a writer and as a director. Since his film debut, I've wanted him to be closer to his roots in style and substance, and this confirms the proverbial "be careful what you wish for, it might come true". But does any of this mean it's not excellent or perhaps superbly acted? Not at all. (08.02.2023)

Though I expected a more interesting and more powerful ending, The Banshees of Inisherin is still a great study of unconventional characters with an unconventional conflict in an unconventional, heavily atmospheric setting. The film is playfully tragicomic and unpredictable, as action and reaction are determined by two incompatible villagers from the end of the Earth who are passively squandering their lives. The first half is masterfully written and directed. However, the actual question of how their problem will be resolved in the first half is more entertaining than its resolution in the second half. Colin Farrell is again excellent and Carter Burwell (the Coen brothers’ court composer) is great, as is the setting, which is itself an important character in the film. (19.01.2023)

A tale about a man who has decided to make a drastic change in his life, entirely inspired by Irish folklore. The more he talks about it, the less he actually pursues it, and his behavior not only makes less and less sense over time, but also begins hurting the people around him. Martin McDonagh usually amuses me with how cleverly he torments his characters and the audience, but this time he crossed the line of likeability towards mere exhibitionism. Despite being one of Colin Farrell's outstanding performances, most of the time it's all just form without any substantial content. The third star is for the heart-wrenching scenery and the rising star of Barry Keoghan, but otherwise it's a surprising disappointment and a creative warning. (12.03.2023)