Director: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan
Running Time: 114 minutes
Synopsis: The setting is the small island of Inisherin off the Irish coast, in 1923. Pádraic (Colin Farrell), a dairy farmer, is stunned when his longtime drinking buddy Colm (Brenda Gleeson), a fiddler, suddenly ends their friendship. Colm now finds Pádraic incredibly dull and wants to focus on composing music. To fill the gap in his life Colm turns to his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) and the dim Dominic (Barry Keoghan), who is being abused by his father. But Pádraic also persists in pestering Colm, with grim consequences.
What Works Well: The rugged Irish scenery is suitably windswept, and the sense of community isolation on an inconsequential island runs deep. With dashes of subtle humour, writer and director Martin McDonagh toys with themes of loneliness, mental health, and men looking for a purpose. The sudden breakdown of a bond between allies echoes the ongoing Irish Civil War, and although confined within narrow ranges, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason are dependable.
What Does Not Work As Well: The pacing is ponderous, exposing thin and repetitious narrative content. The escalation in violence is more bizarre than impactful, and predictably, an ultimately silly dispute between two none-too-bright bumpkins can only generate limited momentum.
Conclusion: The stellar scenery subjugates the slight story.
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