The theatrical premiere date of Martin McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin is fast approaching and Collider has an exclusive featurette that delves into the varied and complex characters of the film. Titled "Divided We Fall," it features McDonagh and the cast sitting down to talk about the very human themes of the film and how each character's own mindset plays into the conflict at its center between two lifelong friends.
Set at the time of the Irish Civil War on the small fictional island of Inisherin, The Banshees of Inisherin follows the two friends, Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson) as the latter suddenly decides to break off their relationship. Farrell describes Pádraic as a bit of a simple, happy-go-lucky person who's happy so long as he has his buddy Colm to chat up at the pub. As Gleeson says in the featurette, that action has heaps of consequences as the crestfallen Pádraic can't accept that his friend just stopped liking him and enlists the help of his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) and troubled young islander Dominic (Barry Keoghan) to try and repair their once rock solid relationship.
McDonagh describes the conflict between the two stubborn friends as similar to the Irish Civil War the film's set against with neither truly certain what they're fighting about. Given the island community is much smaller than the mainland, however, McDonagh wanted his characters to embody that small island sensibility, with every inhabitant knowing each other yet developing their own mindset. The featurette shows this off with Siobhán and Dominic. Siobhán takes a big picture approach while the seemingly-dim witted islander surprises everyone with his cleverness as Keoghan describes his ability to examine all viewpoints. These characters all come together to provide their own perspectives on the conflict and make it a more human story with no clear hero or villain - just people.
This will be the first feature since 2018 for the Six Shooter Oscar winner and McDonagh went all out to capture the depth of suffering with his latest directorial stint. So far, his efforts have paid off. Since making its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival back in early September, where it drew a 13-minute standing ovation, The Banshees of Inisherin has a perfect 100% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes with many hailing its ability to capture the true darkness of the conflict while still earning plenty of laughs along the way. The cast, too, has been a highlight with some going as far as declaring this the landmark performance of Farrell's career. By all accounts, it seems McDonagh has another hit on his hands to go alongside Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and In Bruges.
For the film, McDonagh teamed with producers Peter Czernin and Graham Broadbent, both of whom have stuck with the director through some of his best films. The pair also recently worked on another well-reviewed upcoming film in Lady Chatterley's Lover which is bound for the Telluride Film Festival ahead of its theatrical run this December.
The Banshees of Inisherin premieres in select theaters on October 21. Check out the exclusive featurette featuring the cast and director below: