The Banshees of Inisherin Plot Synopsis
The Banshees of Inisherin is an black comedy by Martin McDonagh about two friends who turn enemies following a ridiculous reason. One day, Colm (Brendan Gleeson), a musician, stops talking to his best friend the cattle herder, Padraic (Colin Farrell). In an absurd comedy of a film, the simple Padraic racks his brain to figure out the reason but can’t come up with one.
As he continues to bother Colm, the former friend declares that he doesn’t want to waste time on idle chatter but to use the remainder of his time to create a legacy and if Padraic doesn’t respect it, he will cut off his fingers. When Padraic’s sister, Siobhan states that he won’t actually be able to make new music if he cuts off his fingers, Colm suggests that that’s the whole point.
Why does Colm suddenly stop talking to Padraic?
Colm and Padraic while polar opposites in personality and intellect are the best of friends and drinking buddies on a sparsely populated island. One day, as usual when Padraic goes to call Colm for a drink, the latter ignores him. While everyone thinks they are fighting, Padraic is confused and tries to get through Colm who just keeps avoiding him.
After everyone keeps bothering Colm for a reason, the next day he goes up to Padraic and tells him that he just doesn’t want to be friends with him anymore. He realises that instead of having dull conversations with the boring Padraic about his donkeys and cattle, he can instead write new music in three days.
And while he is not dying or depressed, he feels that if he continues to hang around Padraic he will run out of time and will not be able to do something worthwhile. By staying away from him, Colm, a musician can create a legacy that will be remembered even after he is gone.
Later, Dominic tells Padraic that Colm had told everyone at the bar that he had liked Padraic and found him interesting when he was drunk and rude. The boy also thinks that Colm is behaving this way because he wants Padraic to change and be less nice and dull. After Colm accidentally kills Padraic’s donkey, during confession he ends up revealing that he does have a little bit of depression but he won’t do anything about it.
Does Colm actually cut off his fingers?
After even the priest asks Colm about Padraic during confession, the musician gets annoyed and confronts Padraic. He declares that if his former friend doesn’t stop talking to him or bothering him, he will start cutting off his fingers with shears each time there is an incident between the two and give it to Padraic. He will start with his left hand which is his fiddle hand.
Padraic keeps his distance but he gets drunk one night and berates Colm and then apologizes the next day. However, that sets off Colm who cuts off his index finger from his left and throws it at Padraic’s door. He warns Padraic’s sister Siobhan that if he talks to him again, he will cut off all the remaining fingers from his left hand. He follows through and cuts them off when Padraic tells him that he tricked Colm’s new friend to go home.
Why does Padraic stop being nice?
From the beginning of the film, the islanders call Padraic a nice and happy man and wonder why Colm stops talking to him. He is a simple man who is kind to everyone including Dominic who is often beaten up by his father, Peadar. However, his nice behaviour is partly why Colm stops talking to him because it is dull.
One night at the bar, Padraic sees him hitting it off with some outsiders who are musicians and even talking to Officer Peadar who is abusive to Padraic. He gets roaring drunk and insults Colm for being rude for no reason. After he leaves, Colm tells the bar that he likes this rude and drunk Padraic. The next day, when Padraic goes to apologize, Colm just rebuffs him and then cuts off his finger.
A worried Padraic tries to save the finger and give it to him but Siobhan calls him stupid and tells him to leave Colm alone. Padraic is still polite to even Colm’s new friend Declan, a musician and gives him a ride. But his jealousy gets to him and he lies and tells Declan that his father had an accident and that he should go back home to the mainland.
Padraic tries to reconcile one last time but Colm cuts off his fingers and his donkey Jenny chokes and dies on it. Colm tries to call a truce but Padraic says that they will have to take it all the way till one of them is dead and burns down Colm’s house.
Why does Padraic burn down Colm’s house?
After Dominic tells Padraic that Colm had said he liked him when he was rude, Padraic goes to the musician’s house and hurls insults at him. But he ends up congratulating him when he learns that Colm finished his new song. To celebrate, he asks if they could have a drink together and Colm agrees. However, just before Padraic leaves to buy him a drink, he tells him that he tricked Declan.
While Padraic waits at the bar, Colm doesn’t show up. Instead, he cuts off the remaining fingers on his left hand and throws it at Padraic’s door. His donkey, Jenny ends up choking while trying to eat the fingers and dies. After burying the donkey, an angry Padraic heads to the bar where he sees Colm enjoying himself and playing the fiddle with one hand.
He tells him that he will burn his house down the next day at 2 pm and to make sure that Colm’s dog is not inside the house as he has nothing against the pet. The next day, after Church, he blocks all the entries and burns down the house while Colm is inside.
Does Colm ever talk to Padraic again?
While Colm tries to avoid speech whenever Padraic is around even if to mutely help him when he’s beaten up by Peadar, the silent treatment doesn’t last long as he does respond now and then. He first argues with a drunk Padraic at the bar that being nice doesn’t matter but art does. Colm also tells him to stop bothering him when he goes to apologize the next day.
He again banters with Padraic when he shows up at his door and scolds him for abandoning him. He ends up agreeing to a pint at the bar when Padraic genuinely congratulates him for finishing his new song. Later, when Padraic confronts him for accidentally killing his donkey, Colm speaks first and tells him that they should part ways amicably.
After Padraic burns down his house, Colm once again asks if they can call it quits but Padraic says that it would have been over if Colm had died in the burning house. Colm apologizes for Jenny and tries to make small talk by talking about the Irish civil war suggesting that they can go back to being friends again.
Padraic says it may never end and that one cannot move on from some things, hinting that he will never forgive Colm even though he doesn’t care anymore that Jenny died. Colm thanks him for not hurting his dog and while Padraic almost gives in and goes back to being his old nice self, he simply acknowledges and leaves.
How did the director of the film Banchees, achieve the look of Colm actually having 5 fingers completely cut off like is shown so bloody in the film?????
I believe the other person who will die (Mrs. M’s prediction) – not to mention Jenny – is meant to be Colm. He is known to be depressed and in dispair…..now he cannot really play the violin well with missing fingers….and now feels responsible for Jenny’s death. He looks forlorn into the body of water and – to me – is thinking of doing the same as Dominic. Padriac has already said he will always look after his little dog.