Right from the beginning, the films of Martin McDonagh have been scabrous, excoriating, hilarious, tragic delights – from the twisted hitman tale of In Bruges, to the tangled satire of Seven Psychopaths, to the emotional depths of the Oscar-lauded Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Now, McDonagh is back with new film The Banshees Of Inisherin – and not only that, but it’s a long-awaited In Bruges reunion, re-teaming the acclaimed writer-director with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in a seemingly sweet and sad comedy-flecked drama about the abrupt ending of a lifelong friendship. In other words, a Martin McDonagh movie. Check out the first trailer:
The film stars Farrell as Pádraic and Brendan Gleeson as Colm, two longtime pals living on (fictional) Inisherin island on the west coast of Ireland – until suddenly, one day, Colm declares that he no longer wants to be friends with Pádraic, whose stunned protestations only make things worse. Also in the mix is Barry Keoghan as Dominic, another local caught up in the conflict, and Kerry Condon as Pádraic’s sister Siobhán.
Little else is known about the film so far, but it’s another original McDonagh screenplay, and shot in Inishmore in the Aran Islands. The film is set to receive its world premiere in a month’s time, playing the Venice Film Festival on 4 September, before heading to the Toronto Film Festival. With the film being released by Searchlight Pictures, now under the Disney banner, it’s currently unknown whether it’ll receive a full cinema release here, or head primarily to Disney+. Stay tuned for more as we hear it.