The War Allegory in The Banshees of Inisherin Explained

Good job. I watched another video like this by an English presenter get it completely wrong. This one shows knowledgeable research and understanding of the history and parallels.

Thank you

Thanks, I was wondering what this film was all about.

Watched this again last night (new tradition). Good explanation, I like it.
Something I've noticed as significant both watches was the dog. Both men share an affection for it, Padraic makes a point of asking Colm to evacuate the dog before he burns Colm's house and we also see the dog literally licking Colm's wounds as well as almost run away with Colm's sheers he used for mutilating himself. Anyone have any theories on this?

And now the Irish government is your enemy trying to delete you.

Phenomenal analysis.

Thanks ,brought up with this history I know so well

Also 'the music' the penal laws hangover which robbed of us so much. To bend the knee to the British crown in some eyes demanded much more from 'the war of independence'

Such a good explanation

Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhh I just saw this movie as a story about loneliness, mental illness and how we often fail to deal with it properly.

I never figured out the similarities between the movie and cival war

Yes, the Irish Civil War (1922-23) (the Anti-Treaty Forces (IRA) vs Pro Treaty Forces) is the main analogy between the two protagonists. Still, we are forgetting a deeper sense that was vocalized by the priest...How's the despair? When your time is running out (for thinkers like Colm & Siobhan), when your dream is crushed like a sweet potato (for kids like Dominic), or even when you realize your dullness in your social circle (Padraic's case). Yes, we are seeing the answer but no one is asking the right question...how's your despair? Could you tell me if you are doing something about it? Do you want a hug? Want to talk about it?

War changes people... everyone is fighting a war for themselves and people are losing hope.

Holy shit, a Brit trying to explain the civil war and getting it a wrong is agonizing

1. Isolation and loneliness: The film explores the profound effects of isolation on a small Irish island, reflecting broader themes of human connection and loneliness.

2. The nature of friendship: It questions what constitutes a meaningful relationship and the impact of suddenly ending a long-standing friendship.

3. Civil war allegory: The conflict between the two main characters can be seen as a metaphor for the Irish Civil War, with its seemingly senseless division and self-destructive nature.

4. Existential crisis: Colm's sudden decision to end the friendship stems from a fear of being forgotten and a desire to create something lasting, reflecting on the human need for purpose and legacy.

5. Consequences of stubbornness: The film shows how pride and an unwillingness to compromise can lead to devastating outcomes.

6. The role of art in life: It explores the tension between the pursuit of art and maintaining human connections.

Ahistorical as well as sheer made up nonsense seeing an allegory. How superficial

So which one represents Northern Ireland? I originally assumed Colm, as the older way, since he was being supported by the police officer (Britain). And Padraic didn't want to listen to his rules.

Brilliant film
I get it 🇮🇪

😎🙏💯

"I'm not forgivin' you of any of these things until the next time, so I'm not-"

"Well I'd better not be dyin' in the meantime then, eh, father? I'll be pure fucked!"

Part had me absolutely gassed the first time I saw this movie 😂

Great video! The two movies are 'Collins' and 'The Wind that Shakes the Barley' - watch them and they'll show you a small tiny part of the history of what England did to Ireland. Watch Black '47 first, though.

Why do humans forego enjoyment over a deep meaning. If you don’t get the deeper meaning, maybe you’re not ready for. Humans need to stop looking for deeper meanings. Sometimes there aren’t deeper meanings. Just watch and enjoy the film. The deeper meaning will come when you’re not looking for it and when you’re ready to grasp it.

I'm so stupid. I just realised, "Inisherin" "Inis Erin" "Inis Éirinn." "The Island of Ireland." I've seen this movie twice and I didn't get that.

Most rational Irish people argument I've seen so far

Poor, Poor Rick...please learn to say his name he's not poor rick,

"you WILL be pure fucked!" - angry priest made me laugh so hard first time watching this movie

Anyway, Banshee also follows families. Canon Divan sitting with me when Dad passed! Most wonderful horrible. A Banshee follows a family and 'keens' for them when one of us passes.

why do you worry so much about the possible civil war subtext? the film is not about the war

Excellent breakdown , i found myself thinking about this film long after it had finished , it does have many layers. To be honest i thought it would be more of a comedy and it really caught me off guard , top quality story and acting.

I 'enjoyed' the movie for its brilliant acting and cinimatography , but found the subject matter distrurbing and have often pondered its themes.
I had a friend blank me in a similar way to Colm, it was very hard to come to terms with, so I was relating it more to the personal realtionship meanings.
Thanks for providing this wider background, now I think I'd like to rewatch the movie with that in mind.

Idk I really wanted to like this film, but it's just utter boring shite to me. While all the deeper meanings do make sense, it doesn't make the film any better. When I saw this upon it's release in the theater, I fell asleep 3 times. I have since viewed it in full multiple times, and was disappointed to discover that I hadn't missed anything important. I thought Kerry Condon's acting was the best, Barry Keoghan was absolutely awful in it. I was just shocked at how bad his accent was, especially as he's Irish. Only one joke through-out the whole film landed for me, and I do like black comedies. I'd hardly even class this as a comedy, more of a weird, slightly satirical drama. In Bruges is still McDonagh's best imo.

The way you keep pretending like the treaty wasnt complete horse shit is really hampering my ability to watch this.

That was fucking brilliant. Thankyou for the explanation

Genuinely fantastic content, well done

HOW DARE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OR ITS PRIESTS REFUSE SACRAMENTS TO THOSE IN GRACE EVEN CONFESSION . EVEN RIME OF THE TIME WOULDN'T HAVE SUPPORTED THIS. ALAS UNT UNTIL THE TIME OF OUR PRESNT POPE THE CHURCH WAS VERY PRO FASCIT BLES H H FRANCIS

this is a brilliant analysis! thank you! I forgot how deep truly good movies go in layers and allegories. thank you!

Jesus!! A very good take, I must say!

Trust an englishman to completely blunder this analysis. Each character can respresent either side, that's the whole point. Colm mutilating himself can be seen as the pro treaty carving up their dream and severing 6 counties from the republic in the name of peace. You missed literally half the film.

The immensely ironic part about the Irish independence struggle was that Collins was right. Although not ideal, at least being dominion gave Ireland the stepping stone needed for full independence without accepting that bullshit treaty the war would have continued and a British Empire would've ground any independence movement into dust. Given the timeframe of 1920-1930 brits had 6 million vets from ww1 and its war reserves were full as many factories had overproduced in anticipation ww1 would go on longer.

I took this film at face value. Friends falling out. And I loved it. This allegory you've discovered is beautiful

🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡

Such a good fillum, which I heartily recommend a watching! There is something rare about Irish movies which can be quite haunting, i.e. the Wind that Shakes the Barley, and the Field.

Well that’s very interesting and so obtuse that unless someone like yourself jumps up and says so no one would notice. Most people took the movie as a strange dark comedy in rural Ireland of the past. It’s not funny, or charming, or even interesting. So it comes across as unfunny and boring. The relationship is frustrating, unnatural and confusing. Did Irish people get the vague analogy or not ? I’d love to know

this is one of the few movie video essays that's actually worth a shit and explaining something that genuinely appears to be intentionally left in the subtext for an important reason. I clicked on this because I thought if nothing else, it'd give me more of a look at this movie and at the history, but the way you explain it actually makes so much sense that I think it's a video that had to be made, and isn't just fluff.

Good analysis. I'm from Eastern Europe, all of this went above my head. But knowing the historical context, it does make a lot of sense.

Ayo edebiri should have gotten an Oscar for playing jenny , great performance she was robbed.

Beautiful explanation...

The scaffolding on the Four Courts is being removed this year. The wounds remain but the world keeps turning.

The donkey represented Michael collins. The dog dev

Appreciate the insight

consider Collum is the Irish free state… who turned against their own, and who severed the six counties