A ballad of bleak beauty.

Honestly, it’s rather hard to believe that, until now, Martin McDonagh, Colin Farrell, and Brendan Gleeson have only ever worked together once. The chemistry flowing between the trio in In Bruges was at such a supreme level that the fourteen years it’s taken for them to reunite feels nothing short of tragic.

Whether Spielberg and Hanks, Scorsese and DiCaprio, Hitchcock and Stewart, or Ford and Wayne, dynamic director/actor duos have been the heartbeat of cinema since its inception. Such cinematic symbiotic relationships have been part of the film industry’s DNA for decades, producing some truly iconic moments along the way, however, despite this, successful trio collaborations have been a far rarer occurrence.

As such, the budding chemistry that Martin McDonagh, Brendan Gleeson, and Colin Farrell demonstrated with In Bruges really was something to savour. Despite the disappointment that the reunion took so long to transpire, the band is nonetheless back together and, if The Banshees of Inisherin’s buzz is anything to go by, this three-way relationship is only just getting started.

On a remote island off the coast of Ireland, the previously unbreakable relationship between lifelong friends, Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), has come to an impasse when Colm puts a sudden end to their friendship. Aided by his sister (Kerry Condon) and a troubled young islander (Barry Keoghan), a stunned Pádraic refuses to take no for an answer, as he strives to repair their broken bond. But when Pádraic’s efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve, events swiftly and violently spiral out of control.

Considering the astonishing simplicity of its plot and the restrictions of its setting, it is to the immense credit of everyone involved that The Banshees of Inisherin works to the degree that it does. Rather than let the sparsity of the film’s circumstances drag it down, Martin McDonagh and his cast actively engage with it, using its subdued nature to its advantage and letting its quiet war speak for itself.

Through a beautifully balanced blend of mundanity and macabre, McDonagh brings together successful elements from all his previous films, while endeavouring to take it all a step or two further. Marrying old and new, the director combines the heightened drama and deliciously dark comedy of previous efforts In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, while threading it all with an intimacy and a distinct closeness that marks The Banshees of Inisherin as some of his finest work to date.

Far more stripped back than we’ve become accustomed to, McDonagh’s eye for the darkly dramatic nonetheless shines through. The overarching drama may not be as forceful or as intense as the director’s previous efforts, yet The Banshees of Inisherin works precisely because of its startling simplicities.

There are no hitmen, psychopaths or vengeful mothers here, just an old friendship at stake, and while the lack of high concept narrative may be off-putting for some, for others, the film’s low-key stakes will come as a breath of fresh air. Of course, there have certainly been moments where McDonagh has gotten personal with his filmmaking, yet it’s never been to this extent.

Laying the foundation with a razor-sharp script laced with parable, McDonagh offers a soulful, deeply personal tale that’s as heartfelt as it is heart-breaking. More than happy to go for the slow burn, The Banshees of Inisherin starts off on an almost whimsical note, with wry, playful humour gently easing us into things while gradually teasing something far darker and more poignant lurking just below the surface.

This tonal leap isn’t an easy one and the balance could’ve spelt the downfall of many a lesser filmmaker, yet McDonagh gets it just about right. Those uninitiated with its director’s work may be thrown by the film’s dramatic shift in tenor, however, for those that embrace it, The Banshees of Inisherin rewards accordingly.

Harnessing the ominous isolation of its setting and the miserable mundanity of its characters, Banshees makes for a wonderfully fulfilling viewing experience that assembles an affecting, surprisingly robust framework around the simplest of plots. Carried along by Carter Burwell’s evocative score and Ben Davis’ beautifully bleak cinematography, the film is a thing of multi-layered beauty that keeps it personal while layering on a pertinent, broader allegory about violence and the fallacies of war.

Of course, regardless of how well these elements work individually, it would be mightily hard for the film to hit as hard as it does without its cast there to pull it all together. Using Martin McDonagh’s beautifully crafted script as its foundation, The Banshees of Inisherin’s sparsely populated ensemble maximise both their limited numbers and the restrictive location to really elevate the experience.

The result is something rather special indeed, as both leads deploy their clear connection with one another to devastating effect. Ably supported by the tightly packed cast around them, both Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson bring their A-game, as they go tit-for-tat with a wholly organic energy that feels reassuringly familiar, yet so delightfully distinct.

As the stoic straight man, Gleeson does Gleeson so well, using his character’s distinct lack of dialogue and facial expression to his advantage, as every weary look, fatigued sip of Guinness, and grumpy jab of his fiddle comes laden with pointed poignancy. It’s a performance that’s far less showy than that of his co-star, yet the film just wouldn’t have the impact it does without it.

Opposite him, Farrell shows once again just how much of a wonderfully diverse performer he is with a showing of humour and humanity that’s among the best of his career. Topping off one hell of a year for the once-maligned actor, Farrell mixes pinpoint comic timing, an oddly charming, dumbfounded desperation, and a heart-breaking sadness that will surely see him right in the conversation come awards season.

Either performance on their own would be enough to get the film going, but it’s the two combined, supplemented by Martin McDonagh’s words and direction, that really makes Banshees sing. Surrounded by phenomenal supporting performances from Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan, Gleeson and Farrell roll back the years and channel that scintillating In Bruges chemistry for another round of tension, poignancy, and brilliantly bleak tragicomedy.

Undeniably some of Martin McDonagh’s finest work since In Bruges, The Banshees of Inisherin is a beautifully balanced blend of heartbreak and macabre comedy, brought to life by a lyrical, razor-sharp script and a collection of terrific performances, led with gloriously grim distinction by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Finding humanity and humour amidst heartache, The Banshees of Inisherin is a parable-laced, contrary crowd pleaser that will stick with you.