Movie Cover

Some things there's no moving on from. And I think that's a good thing.

# Review

In this dark tragicomedy taking place on the fictional isolated Irish isle of Inisherin, Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell) is at a loss when his best friend Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) suddenly breaks off their friendship without explanation.

I had watched this on the plane because I heard of all the accolades this film has won. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I wasn’t completely blown away by the film. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an excellent film. The pair of performances by Farrell as a naive and hot-headed Pádraic and Gleeson as a cynical and calm Colm are amazing. The two have great chemistry and are excellent foils for one another. The supporting cast, which includes Kerry Condon as Siobhán Súilleabháin, the kind and caring sister of Pádraic, and Barry Keoghan as Dominic Kearney, the village idiot, are amazing and play their roles well. The cinematography of the spanning countryside and the colourful island is beautiful to look at while the film score by Carter Burwell fits the mood perfectly.

Despite this, the story felt like a slog. There are moments where the story progresses but they’re often separated by long periods where nothing happens. Perhaps this is the point, as it mirrors the way of life of the islanders. The backdrop of the Irish Civil War is also interesting, as it mirrors the relationship between Pádraic and Colm. Overall the meaning behind the film is open to interpretation. For me, the film represents one’s dissatisfaction with not achieving one’s potential. Colm’s depression is due to his dissatisfaction with his simple life versus what he perceives he could be accomplishing. The ironic part is that Colm is not as worldly as he makes himself to be, since Siobhán, who is actually well-read, corrects him on multiple occasions. Colm, not brave enough to leave Inisherin, lashes out at what he perceives to be holding him back, namely Pádraic.

# Conclusion

One has to be in a certain mood and state of mind to enjoy this.

# Overall rating: 7.5

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