We tend to think of the Emerald Isle as a land of green beauty, like something out of a fairy tale. Perhaps there is some truth to that depiction. Director Martin McDonagh has certainly painted the scenery that way, complete with a lack of rain, except for at night, which belies the realities of the Irish isles. The setting is 1923, during the Irish Civil War, though thankfully that skirmish is firmly in the background, mentioned a time or two verbally, and the occasional sounds of firearms in the distance. The fictional isle of Inisherin is far less exciting for those who live there; a land of “bleakness and grudges and loneliness and spite and the slow passing of time until death.”
We are introduced right away to Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell), a farmer who seemingly has the easiest of lives. He takes care of some livestock, including his favorite donkey Jenny, lives with his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) who cooks and cleans the house, and spends his spare time drinking and conversing with his best friend, Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson). As the story begins, Pádraic is setting out in the morning to check in on Colm, and his sister sarcastically proclaims, “Maybe he just don’t like you anymore.” This proves prophetic as when Pádraic arrives at Colm’s home on the ocean, the man seemingly ignores Pádraic’s knocking at his door.
Later, at the local pub, Colm informs him that he no longer wants to spend time with him, finding him dull and uninteresting, not worth the time wasted holding meaningless conversations with. Pádraic naturally assumes he must have said or done something offensive while the two were out drinking the night before and tries to make amends. But Colm insists that it was nothing Pádraic did specifically; he just doesn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore. He intends to dedicate his time to his fiddle music, something he feels has greater meaning in the long run than their dull friendship.
Pádraic naturally thinks that this is a passing phase and continues to try and interact with Colm until finally Colm insists that if Pádraic continues, he, Colm will cut off one of his own fingers and will continue to do so until Pádraic gets the message. When Pádraic doesn’t take him seriously, Colm does just that, hand delivering the finger to him at his doorstep.
At this point we have to ask ourselves “where can this film go from here?” Well, the answer to that is complicated and one of the true marks of genius of Martin McDonagh’s script. Of course there is a bit of escalation but that is not really the point of this film. We wonder early on why the sudden change of heart with Colm. Why now does he suddenly feel the need to cut off his friendship with Pádraic suddenly and without warning. We don’t get scenes of them prior to this so we don’t know for sure how sudden it really is aside from Colm referencing a conversation the previous day that seems about as enlightening as watching paint peeling. Maybe this was a long time coming but the film paints it like it was a severing as abrupt as the later digit amputations.
What we do know doesn’t come from the conversations between Pádraic and Colm but interactions with others. For instance, Colm goes to confessional and admits that he is feeling a great deal of despair, like his life is nearing an end and he has nothing to show for it. He feels that nice people are forgotten to the passing of time but great music is forever, likening things to the music of Mozart who is remembered hundreds of years later but the nice quiet people of the time are long since forgotten. To stamp out his memorial on this planet, Colm is composing music and spending his evenings at the pub with some student musicians, playing to a small but welcoming crowd. Pádraic can do nothing but sit back and watch in jealousy as his friend is trying to leave him behind.
Pádraic’s only other friend is the much younger Dominic Kearney (Barry Keoghan), the son of the local law enforcer “Garda” Peadar Kearney (Gary Lydon). Dominic has lustful thoughts for Siobhán, which he openly expresses to Pádraic. He also steals alcohol from his father while he is dead drunk, an act that gets him beaten often by his old man. This isle might look idyllic in its beauty and serenity, but that hides the ugliness of the people who live there.
Nearly everyone has had a moment in their life where they look out into the void of space, or across the vastness of the ocean, and realize that their life means little in the grand scheme of things. Not everyone will amount to much in the long term; such is life. Someday, a hundred years from now, my descendants will probably see my name on a family tree and know nothing about who I was or what I stood for in much the same way I am in regards to my great-grandfather. Those who are happiest have come to terms with that. Those struggling with that may make drastic attempts to matter; few will achieve it.
McDonagh’s juxtaposition of the beauties of the Emerald Isle and the bleakness of the people living there is a fascinating one to look at. At one point late in the film, Siobhán has had enough of it and packs her bags, leaving Pádraic behind, alone with his precious animals. She does extend an invite for him to come live with her, seeing the Isle of Inisherin as a place of nothingness, but he refuses, choosing to stay where he has nothing. After all, everywhere you go, there you are, right? Dominic will escape, too, but not in the way you would expect and it’s not certain if his method was intentional or not, though there are hints as to which.
This is not a movie that wants you to feel happy or elated once the narrative wraps up. It is sad and pensive right up to the bitter end. What that ending is is fresh and original and leaves room for thoughts and discussions on what it all means. It’s tragic in much the same way Martin McDonagh’s other “feel-good” film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is. It’s also just as ambiguous where the story could go after the credits start to roll. This isn’t going to be wrapped up neatly, nor should it. Life isn’t that neat, time marches on, and sometimes once promising friendships die on the vine. That’s a bleak thing to consider, but that is life.
Academy Award Nominations:
Best Picture: Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, and Martin McDonagh
Best Director: Martin McDonagh
Best Actor: Colin Farrell
Best Supporting Actor: Brendan Gleeson
Best Supporting Actor: Barry Keoghan
Best Supporting Actress: Kerry Condon
Best Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh
Best Film Editing: Mikkel E. G. Nielsen
Best Original Score: Carter Burwell
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Release Date: October 21, 2022
Runtime: 114 Minutes
Rated R
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan
Directed by: Martin McDonagh
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