Review of The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) by Everett — 14 Dec 2022

I loved "In Bruges"and "Three Billboards,"and watched them several times. So I was really looking forward to this one. But I found it far less satisfying, and even had a hard time getting through it.

There just wasn't enough here. For starters, though it's billed as a comedy/drama, I only had a few chuckles over the dialogue; overall, it was far more sad. Yes, the acting was superb, the cinematography gorgeous. But I wanted more. More to the story, and to the characters. A sudden, out-of-the-blue decision like Colm's, involving scenes that are shockingly gross, needs exploration. But no. You keep waiting for something that never comes. It's just "what it is." Maybe that's the point. And maybe I'm missing something else, though the reviews don't give me much to go on. They seem laudatory simply because it's McDonagh. But it doesn't feel earned.