On the occasion of the release of Martin McDonagh’s “Banshees of Inisherin” (“Kissing from Bruges”), here are five things to know about this funny and cruel Irish fable.
The Banshees of Inisherin by Martin McDonagh
With Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon…
What is it about ? On Inisherin – an isolated island off the west coast of Ireland – two lifelong friends, Padraic and Colm, find themselves at an impasse when Colm decides overnight to end their friendship. Stunned, Padraic does not accept the situation and tries by all means to put the pieces back together, with the support of his sister Siobhan and Dominic, a young islander who is a little disturbed. But Padraic’s repeated efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve, and when Colm finally issues a desperate ultimatum, events escalate with dire consequences.
Meaning of title
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The title of the film refers to a legendary ghostly figure from Irish mythology who cries at night to announce a death in the vicinity. Although not made explicit in The Banshees of Inisherin, an elderly woman on Inisherin, Mrs. McCormick (Sheila Flitton), is the physical embodiment of the Banshee.
Filming locations
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The Banshees of Inisherin was filmed on the islands of Inishmore and Achill, off the west coast of Ireland. Inishmore Island is part of the Aran Islands, a group of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay: Inishmore, the largest, Inishmaan the second, and Inisheer, the smallest. The population of the three islands combined is approximately 1,200 people. Achill Island is located 150 km from the latter, in County Mayo (where, among other things, the pub is located).
The western as a reference
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Martin McDonagh had as references The Night of the Hunter, but also the westerns of John Ford and Sergio Leone. The filmmaker has, among other things, taken their low-angle shots: the shots filmed from the feet dear to Leone, and those filmed through doors and windows in Ford’s films.
For the pub, production designer Mark Tildesley notes: “We watched the best westerns and came to the conclusion that we needed a big, long bar. When these two characters argue, one heads towards one part of the pub, the other on the other side: we therefore find ourselves in a dead end.”
“We wanted to create a simple space that tells the story. You have to feel that atmosphere of war, oppression and embarrassment, so we built a crushing ceiling in the pub that announces the disaster to come.”
A precious help
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The Banshees of Inisherin would not have been possible without the help of the people of Inishmore and Achill. Mark Tildesley worked with a local company that laid stones on the roads to restore them to their original state in 1923.
The people of Inishmore also lent their horses and carts. In the port of Achill, local fishermen participated in the project. Hookers, these traditional Irish boats, were used for the purposes of the feature film.