The Banshees of Inisherin

How bad is it when even the village idiot won’t talk to you? Martin McDonagh's emerald gem, polished by kindness, pettiness, and sadness. The three gentlemen under the Celtic cross are excellent as expected, but the surprise is how Kerry Condon at least matched them. I give five severed fingers that have gradually knocked on the door of skepticism, suggesting that films with big hearts and capital Fs are no longer being made. (21/12/2022)

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)

A perfect portrayal of that strange human behaviour, when a person does something that those around them don't understand, but at that moment it makes perfect sense to them. Martin McDonagh only needed another feature film with a polished script and sensational actors to say something others can't. And while there is no moment as powerful as Sam Rockwell's in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, it's a great film to reflect on for a long time afterwards – not because you want to understand it, but because you just want to think about it. (13/02/2023)

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)