The Banshee of Inisherin: once again the strangest film in Venice is by Martin McDonagh

We will be there at some point in the pub a full-blown philosophical disputeconducted with a limited vocabulary and played all around just two words: boring and kind. Two worldviews that collide: one that sees the meaning of life in the possibility of transcending time, leaving something of oneself in the world, even a little; the other that finds meaning in living from interactions with others and from what can be done day by day. Very high themes of which two idiots speak with the means of two idiots, making the wrong names mentioned and given (wrong by a century!).

Here is the world of cinema of McDonagh condensed, the way in which he knows how to manipulate these characters to deal with very high issues. More difficult, however, is the way in which he closes this story. In fact, one senses that he intends to pull the strings of all this: the impasse of the characters, the limbo, the predictions of a woman who seems to be the spirit of the island, the conflict between Irish so far away on other things but so present in the allegory of the two separated friends, who wants to leave and who suffers harassment from everyone. However, it is not possible to pretend not to see how much effort leads to nothing. The Banshee of Inisherin unfortunately it is very unfinished and despite some phenomenal moments it gives importance to a serious reasoning (no less than on the internal conflicts of its nation) which it does not know how to conclude effectively.

More than wondering where this film was going perhaps it is more worth enjoying what he did. Enjoy for example the beautiful duet between Colin Farrell And Brendan Gleeson (together again later In Bruges), the sad eyebrows of the first and the incredibly expressive snout of the second; of the way many animals in the movie they look at these foolish men; as a dog takes away some shears at a certain point or as in a sad ending horses and cows look at the protagonist from the window, with eyes that tell all the sadness of the world. Here is the best part of this director out of any canon, its ability to always strike the viewer where it is not expected, surprise and never walk twice on the same path. Each film of him stimulates, tests and forces you to think while entertaining, even when it is not fully satisfying.