In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for The Banshees of Inisherin, we talk about themes that help us understand the film.
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Cast
- Colm Doherty – Brendan Gleeson
- Pádraic Súilleabháin – Colin Farrell
- Siobhán Súilleabháin – Kerry Condon
- Dominic Kearney – Barry Keoghan
- Gerry – Jon Kenny
- Jonjo Devine – Pat Shortt
- Mrs. O’Riordan – Bríd Ní Neachtain
- Written by – Martin McDonagh
- Directed by – Martin McDonagh
The themes and meaning of The Banshees of Inisherin
The cost of arbitrary decisions
Colm’s decision to no longer be friends with Pádraic is sudden and arbitrary. With how small the isle is, the order of things is pretty established, and what one person does affects many others. Colm doesn’t just ease out of his friendship with Pádraic. He doesn’t talk through things with Pádraic. It’s a full termination of the relationship. Not only is that unnecessary, Colm attaches the conditional of “if you talk to me, I will cut off a finger”.
It’s the conditional that really cements McDonagh’s point. It’s one thing to not want to be friends with someone. Arbitrary but relatable. Most people probably wouldn’t handle it how Colm did, but you’ve probably iced someone out of your life in a less direct way. Slow to respond to texts. Not making plans. Canceling plans you do make. Time passes. Distance grows. Friendship is over. These things happen. But “I will cut off a finger” does not.
It’s the absurdity of that idea that shows the absurdity of the entire situation. Especially since Colm cuts off five fingers in total. No one makes him do that. No one says that’s how he had to get his point across. What’s crazy is that cutting off one finger doesn’t stop Pádraic from talking to him.
The point of this crystalizes when you remember The Banshees of Inisherin is commentary on the Irish Civil War. Colm and Pádraic represent the two warring factions, the Irish Free State and the Irish Republican Army. It’s like McDonagh is pointing out how outrageous the two sides were. One came up with arbitrary rules. And the other wouldn’t accept them, even when the stakes escalated. If “Colm” would have been less dramatic, things probably would have worked out better for everyone. At the same time, why couldn’t “Pádraic” just not talk to “Colm”? Was that so difficult?
Because neither will budge, things escalate to a point of no return. Something that was initially silly begins to have an actual impact on the isle/country. And changes the status quo forever.
Limitations of Ireland
Siobhán, Pádraic’s sister, has outgrown what Inisherin has to offer. She can’t find friends, romance, or work befitting her intellect. She’s lonely and aching.
There’s a telling moment where Pádraic confronts Colm. Pádraic is on the side of being nice while Colm dismisses the importance of being nice and elevating the value of art. It gets at the divide between the two. Pádraic is pretty dull and of-the-moment. Colm is loftier and artsier and thinks he’s smarter than Pádraic. He uses Mozart as an example, saying no one remembers who was nice in the 17th century but everyone knows Mozart. To which Pádraic says “Well, I don’t. So there goes that theory.”
At the end of the argument, Siobhán takes her brother away, but not before letting Colm know something. “It was the 18th century, anyway” she says. “Mozart. Not the 17th.” It’s a reality check for Colm’s sense of superiority over Pádraic. Here he believes himself so much smarter, yet he’s also wrong. It also positions Siobhán as the true intellectual of the isle.
And what does Siobhán do? She flees. She takes a job on the mainland, leaving everyone on Inisherin to figure it out themselves. This seems like a euphemism for a kind of brain drain that happened because of the Irish Civil War. Sick of the fighting, tens of thousands of people actually left Ireland for opportunities abroad in England, the United States, and elsewhere.
Animals in the house
Pádraic couldn’t have animals in the house while Siobhán was there. After she leaves, the sense of boundary goes out the window. He lets the horse and donkey roam his home. On the flip side, there’s Colm’s house. He had filled it with cultural objects from around the world, like Japanese oni masks. Then Pádraic burns Colm’s house, he’s basically erasing the only place of global culture from Inisherin. Likewise, with Siobhán gone, you lose the most intelligent person who was doing their best to keep some standards of living.
What’s left? A home full of animals. It’s not that the animals are necessarily bad. It’s just the question of standards. Also, it shows how isolated Pádraic is. No wife. No kids. His sister fled. Not really any friends. The only company he has? The animals.
Now apply this to the film’s larger commentary on 1920s Ireland and the result of the Irish Civil War and it’s pretty bleak. The brain drain. The loss of intentional culture. The turning inward.
What are your thoughts?
Are there more themes you think should be part of the Colossus Movie Guide for The Banshees of Inisherin? Leave your comments below and we’ll consider updating the guide.
Greate !! I loved the movie and the idea presented is as clear as RO water.
Thanks!
Colm gets what he wants in the end. To be remembered. Although he will not be remembered for his music. The two men will be remembered on the island forever for their fight and what it led to – a dismembered hand, a dead donkey, and a burned-down house. Small-town people, like the shopkeeper, live for gossip. All will know. The tale will be retold. Maybe embellished as the decades pass.
Ultimately both men lost what they loved. Colm, his ability to play music which was the essence of himself. Padraic loses what he thought was the essence of himself – a nice man. Nice men don’t lie about the death of a stranger’s father or burn houses down. He cut out his niceness just as Colm cut off his fingers. He made the bold declaration in the Pub he would burn the house down. Just as Colm had made the bold declaration he’d cut off his fingers in the pub previously. Nearly with identical tones in their voices and the same seriousness in their eyes. Padriac proved he had what it took to cut out what made him unique and special just as Colm did. But in the final scene, Colm still has his music – we hear him humming. The years of friendship allow the two to communicate in unspoken words as Padriac agrees to watch after Colm’s dog when he passes. Padriac’s kindness is still intact. We see him swallow hard on the lump of warm emotion he continues to hold toward Colm who asks him for the final favor.
Hi, Amy! Great points. It is interesting, that dynamic between Colm’s physical loss and Padraic’s abstract loss. But, yeah, we do see some degree of leniency in the two. Colm says himself he kind of liked Padraic again, but he still wouldn’t go back on his declaration. Likewise, he kind of trains Padraic by only being nice to Padraic when Padraic’s mean to him. So it’s like Padraic is only not nice to get Colm’s attention. You see it over the movie in their various encounters. Padraic has his drunken rant and Colm’s happy. Padraic goes to apologize the next day and is really nice and Colm’s mean. So then Padraic shows up at Colm’s house and is mean, but he eventually cracks and tries to get them to go to the pub together. Colm punishes him. After that, Padraic just goes full tilt. But obviously still yearns for Colm’s friendship, which is why we get that last softer moment when they part.
Loved your explanations. So far, these feel like they fit the best. I had tried reading up on the Irish Civil War and thought that Colm and Padraic where meant to represent infighting , but your take on them being representations for the Irish and British feels like it fits better particularly when you consider the similarity in arbitrary terms that were put out by Colm and the British.
What do are your views on Dominic, I.e , the dim character? On one hand he is clearly shown to be less dim then what everyone thinks him to be (using the word touche / analysis the situation with colm better than Padraic). Is he a metaphor for the masses? Helpless and tragically affected by the in-fighting.
Also lastly, why Banshees and not banshee of inishirin? Other than the old women are others also foretelling death in some metaphorical way ?
( you don’t have to answer these, it was fun just to think deeper on a movie for a change :p, maybe I ll only figure these out after future viewings)
The post shop lady is a metaphor for mass media. When people especially protesters are brutalized, the media under govt influence will label the protesters as trouble makers.
Hey Varun! Just to clarify, I do think Colm and Padraic represent infighting. It’s just one side of the Irish was okay with still having ties to Britain. While the other side wanted complete and total independence. It was police officer I thought kind of represented the British.
Regarding Dominic: I think you’re on it. To me, he represented specifically the youth and future generations and the prospects they had in this country that was kind of broken. It seemed like he had no hope for a career, a hobby, romance, nothing. As you said, that sense of helplessness and tragedy that came with and lingered after the fighting. So Padraic’s sister heads off for better opportunities and is happy (like the people who fled Ireland). While Dominic stays and is broken.
I guess banshees probably to get at the idea of scope and scale? Especially since the idea of the banshee was tied to a funeral. When you have multiple banshees, it implies multiple funerals? That’s kind of my off the cuff answer lol.
Really found your analysis so interesting and helpful for a film which seemed both absurd and disturbing without understanding the Irish Civil War references.
I also picked up that both the law and religion were completely unhelpful, and also actually damaging, in attempting to resolve the Irish conflict, as depicted by a corrupt and violent police officer and an angry and unsympathetic priest.
Also felt the little donkey represented peace, in its purity, innocence and simplicity – destroyed by the conflict between the two former friends, with the actions of both contributing.
Thanks Lesley! The law and religion aspect is something I probably could have put more emphasis on. And the donkey, yeah, seems symbolic for the innocent lives that were lost or just the idea of peace, innocence, etc.
I believe the animals represented the men on the run who relied on the friendlies to hide the nin their houses and the death of the donkey was symbolic of the executions taking place on the mainland , also watching on smiling and uncaring was the old woman and she could be easily symbolic of the British who basically left Ireland in ruins as friend turned on friend
You can definitely make those cases! I do think the old woman serves as a more conceptual metaphor than a literal one like Padraic and Colm. I think I discuss that more in the motifs page (if you checked that out). But the animals could just very well be the innocents who were on both sides.
The old woman/banshee obviously represented death, which Siobhán “avoided” and Pádraic hid from when he encountered her on the pathway. The policeman was less fearful since he has a familiarity with death and merely shook his head when he encountered his own drowned son. The animals were the Irish people, and the donkey represented the death of the innocent.
That all works for me!
The post shop lady is a metaphor for mass media. When people especially protesters are brutalized, the media under govt influence will label the protesters as trouble makers.
Also 2 themes I noticed, as a character study podraic is classic borderline case while colm may not be a narcissist, the breakup was a classic ghosting narc style.
Bpd is characterized by the dread of abandonment, anger, mood changes suddenly. Even the intoxication aspect is Bpd. Hundreds of movie characters are based on Bpd or npd. It’s a relationship that defines humanity. Actually considering a thesis on this.
Yeah, shop lady for media is a good call!
That would make for a very interesting thesis! What other options are you considering?
Enjoyed reading all of the above commentary. Very enlightening. The symbolism came pouring over me in one “aha” moment as we sat in silence as the movie ended, and an engaging discussion immediately began. Beautifully done. I pondered the fingers….and thought of the irrationality of such a threat..in that Colm only hurt himself and did nothing to stop Padraic from acting in his own best interest. Then I thought “what do we throw at the other side in a time of war? We throw our own sons and daughters, as soldiers, airmen and sailors. We make the ultimate sacrifice…and whether we win or lose, the price of such a sacrifice remains….glaringly missing.”
Without all that explanations, I was wondering that what this movie was about
Hopefully this helped!
I really like your sensible comment to explain such a beautiful Symbolist film as I defined it in my book “Symbolist Films: The Metaphorical Expression of Narrative Films”
see the following link:
https://www.amazon.com/Symbolist-Films-Metaphorical-Expression-Narrative/dp/3847315382
Most critics will try to explain it in symbolic relations to the wars but find the connection in vein. The assumption of viewers’ knowledge about the Irish war is too much. Reading the symbolism should be in the film itself. You have down a great job! Thank you!
Thanks Anna! Nice to see someone else who cares deeply about this topic!
Doesn’t ‘Inisherin’ translate from Irish to English as ‘The Island of Ireland’? If so, the ‘banshees’, the bringers/announcers of evil, we are being asked to consider may be the attitudes and supposed folk-memories from the Civil War period that still infect and affect parts of life for some Irish people, passed from one generation to the next. 24 May 2023 sees the centenary of the Civil War’s conclusion.
The same dwelling on strongly held views and supposed memories from the past is part of many ‘conflicts’ around the world; Northern Ireland, Palestine/Israel, Sunni/Shiiite, Azerbaijan/Armenia, Serbian/Croatian, India/Pakistan, even, at root, Russia/Ukraine etc. etc. Communities at odds with each other for reasons they can’t remember but still feeling superior to the other and prepared to mutilate themselves to make their point.
Crazy! If it wasn’t so terrible it would be funny, as this great movie shows.
I agree with your interpretation Gerard or to put it like this: “The ghosts of the island of Ireland”.
If that’s what it translates too, that really puts a fine point on the symbolism lol. Great point that we’re really in the 100 year anniversary of the conflict. Appreciate the comment and thoughts, Gerard!
Could it be that this film is a metaphor for the break up of Britain & Ireland. First one finger (1921), then the other 4 – perhaps very soon and as a result of brexit . In general a self mutilation.
Someone could definitely make an argument for it!
Interesting interpretations of the movie with the desire to leave a legacy ending with the legacy being the dispute that left one man without ability to create music which is is state of peace, loss of his home – security and the other loses his security his sister and the donkey Jenny that brings him peace. The donkey chokes on the matter at hand – literally – of the dispute. Their unspoken gestures – Colm driving the wagon home silently after Padriac is beaten, and P taking care of C’s dog while buring down his house. Both take actions that have no effect on ending the dispute. Much like the Civil Wars. The ghoul lady represents and portends fate and death. There is no privacy between the pub and the store keeper prying in everyone’s business. Likening to mass media hits the nail on the head.
I now see I should have read your interpretation before I saw the film, as the execution of the film was obtuse. I see no reason this film to exist. If one has to reach so far as to ask you for an explanation, well, that is a couple hours of my life that I threw away.
There is also a theme of what is trivial and what is substantive and as humans we often get it turned around. If we sacrifice friendship and human connection for artistic greatness, then what have we really achieved? In the end, human connection, conversation, and bonding is the thing that should be valued over everything else.