The Banshees of Inisherin won big at the Golden Globes last night - and deservedly so.
The dark comedy won the best comedy or musical award, while writer and director Martin McDonagh took home best screenplay and star Colin Farrell completed the hat-trick with the award for best performance by an actor in a motion picture musical or comedy.
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This hat-trick was testament to the magic trio that is McDonagh, Farrell and co-star Brendan Gleeson.
They previously collaborated on the 2008 film In Bruges and their chemistry was irresistible, with McDonagh's feature film debut becoming an instant classic.
As such, their reunion for another black comedy 14 years on came with the weight of great expectation; but they did not disappoint.
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The film transports us to 1923 and the fictional island of Inisherin, off the west coast of Ireland, where we are immersed in the minute world of Colm Doherty (Gleeson) and Pádraic Súilleabháin (Farrell) - two men who abruptly stop being friends.
Colm decides he doesn't want to waste any more of his time talking with his innocent drinking buddy Pádraic, who is left isolated and despairing when Colm threatens to chop off one of his own fingers each time Pádraic tries to talk to him.
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This falling out forms the thread of the entire film, and on paper you might wonder how such a premise could provide the basis of a masterpiece; however, if you ever needed proof that less is more, then this is it.
In a time of cinematic universes, Earth-saving superpowers and big budget CGI, The Banshees of Inisherin is a reminder that great storytelling cannot be trumped.
Gleeson pitches dour Colm to perfection, and Farrell is at his finest as the endlessly endearing Pádraic, while Kerry Condon brilliantly portrays his out of place sister Siobhán, who shines a light on the absurdity of the 'feckin' boring' men on the island.
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Combining this cast with McDonagh's script and vision is a recipe for greatness, and it's a joyous two hours spent ruminating on friendship, loss and death, admiring beautiful scenery, and laughing - lots and lots of laughing.
Quintessentially Irish humour is littered throughout the film, perfectly counterbalancing all the melancholy and poignancy, like cinematic sweet and salty popcorn.
If you haven't seen it already, you should probably put that right sharpish (and if you've seen it already, you almost definitely wouldn't mind heading back for a second viewing).
And while the film makes for exceptional viewing on a surface level, before you go you may want to do some brushing up on the Irish civil war, which provides the backdrop to the story and gives an extra layer of meaning to the sudden, regrettable and violent relationship breakdown between former best buds Pádraic and Colm.
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The Banshees of Inisherin is available to watch on Disney+ and NOW TV.
Topics: TV and Film
Jake Massey