The Banshees Of Inisherin
Searchlight Pictures (2022)
After seeing The Whale in theaters over the weekend, we decided to take a look at some of the other Oscar-nominated films that Regal Cinema has brought back to the big screen. Many of these weren't screened at the Regal in my hometown during their initial theatrical run. In some cases, I had never even knew that these movies even existed, which was the case with The Banshees Of Inisherin.
My decision to see this film was just one small step away from picking it out of a hat. I didn't see the trailer. I didn't read the reviews. There were really only three things that I knew about it before I got to see it:
- The start time was after I got out of work.
- There's a dog on the poster.
- It's about one guy who doesn't want to be friends with another guy.
That's it. That's all I knew, and that's all I wanted to know. Some of my happiest experiences of watching a movie are times that I went into the theater completely blind... just buy a ticket to something that you've never heard of that you have absolutely no expectations of, find a seat, and let the performers tell you a story.
The Banshees Of Inisherin has been nominated for Best Picture, and while I expect that it's going to be a runner-up to Everything Everywhere All At Once (which is an amazing movie), it wouldn't come as too big of a surprise to me if Banshees ends up winning instead. This is an absolutely phenomenal movie. It's set in 1923 Ireland on a small island off the coast from the mainland, and as the description in the Regal app told me, it is about one man who suddenly decides that he doesn't want to be friends with another man who he had been close with for years. From there, a story unfolds that is so rich and bizarre and beautifully shot that you just have to experience it for yourself.
I strongly recommend this movie, but beyond that, I can't recommend highly enough the experience of going to see something that you know nothing about. Just pick something at random from your local theater that you've never heard of and pick a time to go see it. Midday screenings during the week are always a good choice because if you live in a small enough town, there's a decent chance that have the whole place to yourself. Go alone or go with a friend or a loved one, but if you do go with other people, make sure that all of you commit to avoiding as much information about the movie as possible. Hell, if you can manage not seeing the poster or the names of any of the actors involved, all the better. The less you know, the more authentic of an experience you're going to have. Buy your ticket and a bag of popcorn, take a seat, and just let the story wash over you with zero expectations. It's an addictive experience, and even if the movie doesn't end up being your cup of tea, I think you'll find that you'll be glad that you went. The Banshees Of Inisherin is absolutely my cup of tea.
