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Pertaining to the Banshees of Inisherin discussion:
Both of the protags are insufferable in their own way:
Padraic is so obsessed with being "the nice guy" that he completely disregards the boundaries of a person he supposedly cares about deeply. Throughout the film, he shows that the outward appearance of "niceness" and his chummy demeanor mean more to him than the actual well-being of those around him.
And Colm is a suffering artist who puts the suffering front and center. He is like a petulant child. He could have set small boundaries like having a few days of the week to himself, or he could have moved away. Yes, there are battles going on elsewhere, but he's pretty close to suicidal anyway. Don't think someone who would be willing to mutilate himself like that, would shy away from that sort of danger. But no, he's making a stupid game out of this, even leading people on by claiming he started to "like" Padraic's drunk self again.
The only person with any sense in this movie is Padraic's sister Siobhán. She saw the island for the void it is and moved the fuck out. Good for her.
The movie operates on themes rather than a very straightforward message and I loved it for exactly that. The island was sort of a stand-in for the vicious circles we find ourselves in throughout our lives. Malaise and depression permeate its atmosphere. There are also a lot of allegories for how hard it is to get out of toxic relationships. Siobhán managed to do this - her toxic relationship being with the environment itself. Colm and Padraic are too stubborn and too foolish to see what they need to be doing for themselves. Padraic's fear of being abandoned clouds his better judgement and Colm's self-hatred manifests in his unreasonable spiral of destruction and self-destruction.
The Banshees Of Inisherin is not a feel-good movie, but a really great one. Its protags are both unlikeable and likeable, in certain instances even relatable. It's complicated and that's what keeps it interesting and 3-dimensional. Loved the shit out of this movie.
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