In theaters on Wednesday, this camera takes place on a fictional island, in a postcard Ireland in the spring of 1923, just before the end of the civil war which is raging in the country.

"It was both very familiar and completely unique" to meet Brendan Gleeson and director Martin McDonagh, Colin Farrell told AFP at the Venice Film Festival in September, where he won the interpretation prize. .

In the film, which received a long ovation in Venice, he played the role of Pádraic, a simple-minded but tender-hearted farmer, wounded by the abandonment of his friend.

"I don't love you anymore, that's all".

At first glance, it appears to be a simple falling out: overnight, Colm decides to cut off all contact with his former sidekick and drinking mate, who lives with his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon).

Pádraic first wants to believe in an April Fool's joke, but it is not so.

In a total incomprehension, he tries many approaches but Colm remains inflexible.

Tired of his daily life, embodied in his eyes by his partner who has no other interest in life than his cows, Colm, a violinist, wishes to devote himself to his art in the hope of leaving a trace.

And decides that this friendship is wasting his time.

Folklore and Guinness

More than a film about a broken friendship, "The Banshees of Inisherin" is a tragic comedy with black humor, which speaks of island fatality, therefore of loneliness... washed down with Guinness and whiskey in the pub.

Death also lurks with the "banshees" that give the film its title.

These feminine and magical creatures from the legends of Irish mythology let out a piercing cry that portends an imminent end.

Even if none have ever been seen in Inisherin, Colm dreads them and devotes to them, on the violin, a piece of his composition with folk sounds.

As if to flee the inevitable.

Loneliness, or worse.

Actors Colin Farrell (g) and Brendan Gleeson, November 19, 2022 in Los Angeles © Tommaso Boddi / AFP/Archives

The film was largely shot in Inishmore, one of the three rocky Aran Islands, a setting that allows Martin McDonagh to reconnect with his Irish roots.

These spectacular landscapes give it an atmosphere that is both heavy and magical, reinforced by Carter Burwell's soundtrack, all in flute and harp.

"The Banshees of Inisherin" has already received eight Golden Globe nominations, including best comedy of the year, a first for twenty years, and could find itself in the running for the Oscars.

In 2018, "3 Billboards: The panels of revenge", the previous film by Martin McDonagh, had its actors Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell each win an Oscar.

© 2022 AFP