The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Nothing blows up in The Banshees of Inisherin. A man just stops talking to his best friend, and somehow that’s more gripping than most war movies. Colin Farrell’s Pádraic is a sweet, simple guy who can’t understand why Brendan Gleeson’s Colm suddenly wants silence, and Farrell plays that confusion like a puppy that keeps scratching at the same door. Gleeson is the opposite: calm, sad and frighteningly stubborn. Kerry Condon is the sharpest person on the island as Siobhán, and Barry Keoghan breaks your heart as Dominic. Martin McDonagh writes dialogue that sounds like a pub argument set to music, so the jokes land. The honest weakness is the symbolism. The cannon fire from the mainland and the old woman muttering prophecies get pushed a little too hard, like the movie is nudging you to take notes. It made $50.4 million worldwide on a reported $20M. A 9.0 because it’s a tiny story that hits like a slammed door. $1,593 says you double-check that your best friend still likes you before the weekend.

What works: Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are both at their very best, and the dialogue is funny and painful in the same breath.

What doesn’t: The symbolism, from the distant cannons to the island’s prophecy-muttering old woman, is laid on a little too thick.

Who it’s for: Anyone who has ever been ghosted by a friend, or who likes their comedies sad and their landscapes windy.