The Banshees of Inisherin | Cinema of Meaning #49

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About this episode:
Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the implications of confronting one’s mortality, the existential purpose of kindness, and how even the tiniest, most remote places can still form a stage for grand human drama, in Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin.
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[@cinemaofmeaning]

Get started with NordVPN: nordvpn.com/cinemaofmeaning Listen to Cinema of Meaning on our creator-owned platform Nebula to enjoy our podcast completely ad-free, a week early, and with additional bonus episodes: nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning (Signing up using our link also supports the podcast)

[@magiccitymama1620]

Excellent podcast that helped me understand this wonderful movie more. When you discussed how Colm thinks music is something important because people remember it, I remembered that scene where he gets the entire century of a composer wrong and Siobhan corrects him. This movie hurt my heart because I hate when people are turned into pariahs and shunned and it was really hard for me to watch the friendship of these two men deteriorate.

[@Desb-ui9vx]

Currently writing a dissertation on Irish cinema and this film is one of my three case studies! Perfect timing guys, appreciate some in-depth, external viewpoints.

[@gildardorodriguez4356]

Maybe Colm doesn't like Padraic no more. I don't think it has anything to do with Padraic's niceness

[@vivthefree]

I'm Irish and familiar with the Civil War, and I cannot fathom the relevance of its introduction in the film. I've yet to hear a good explanation, other than one that compares the conflict in the film to civil war in general. So, I don't think you're missing much. I think the problem lies in the writing. The film seemed mired in cynicism (gloomy, dismissive and lots of throw-away lines), and more empathic writing might have done more with such an interesting setting and characters. Great job with the pronunciation, bu the way. I always admire your thoughtfulness and insight - that is to say you're both nice AND talented!

[@nowodka123]

I think the war context is all about emphasizing how removed from the rest of the world people on the island are. There is war happening, yet they live in that bubble.

[@gilly_axolotl]

I'm glad Ive read this comment. I also felt like it was potentially too cynical, though I know I'm somewhat biased bc I prefer an optimistic film like what the Daniels make. That said though, I felt like aspects of it were either pointlessly cruel or lacking in plot-driven reasoning. I've only just watched the film but Dominics death felt like such a throwaway thing. It's somewhat impossible to place it's cause as part of the lesson of the movie bc McDonough (the writer/director) leaves out whether it was accident or suicide. So it's inclusion doesn't feel like a additive part of the plot. And if that's the point, that bad stuff happens and the world sucks, and dim, yet innocent people die for unapparent reasons... Then like that goes back around to pointlessly cruel. Felt like depressing fluff. Doesn't help that Dominic was autism coded, and his character was mostly used for laughs and/or tears and not much more. The coding felt like playing at the typical viewers infantilization of people like that

[@vivthefree]

@@gilly_axolotl Depressing fluff -- that's such a great description! I think that's a category of film in itself.

[@amberprice8077]

There's a line in the film where the officer tells his son Dominic to go home and iron his shirt, going on to call him the "lady" of the house. Whereas you see Siobhan is shown washing Padraic's clothes, making all of his meals, and even cleaning up after his messes when he brings Jenny in and she relieves herself on the floor. When Siobhan is arguing with Padraic about leaving one of his first (although not THE first) things he brings up is who will cook for him? From what I remember, after Siobhan leaves we never see Padriac take care of any household chores. Yes, we see him take care of the animals and his usual tasks, but we never see him eat a proper home cooked meal, clean the house, or do his laundry. It's interesting because obviously the movie wants us to see some comparisons between Padraic and Dominic (as based on the conversation where Padriac asked if he is after Dominic in being the dullest) but at least Dominic can do chores around the house competently and take care of himself AND another person (his dad). It begs the question of what it means to actually be the "dullest one of the island" and what those standards are.

[@sinshenlong]

being an islander I relate to Colm alot. Though I didn't enjoy this movie as much while watching it I love hearing the breakdowns around the film