The Banshees Of Inisherin Review: 9 Ups & 1 Down

1. The Magnificent Period Detail

Like any movie set roughly 100 years in the past, The Banshees of Inisherin required quite the effort on the part of the production design and costume design teams to convincingly transport audiences back in time.

Even with the relatively sparse naturalistic setting, production designer Mark Tildesley had to custom-build Jonjo's Pub - the film's central location - specifically for the shoot, which nevertheless completely convinces as a building that's been standing for centuries.

Costume designer Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh meanwhile gives the focal characters threads that feel period-appropriate and yet look sharper than you'd probably expect from the denizens of an Irish island just going about their business. Fans of knitwear are sure to have a great time.

It remains to be seen whether these below-the-line production aspects will achieve Oscar recognition given that the Academy tends to defer towards showier blockbuster movies in these categories, but the craft on offer is exceptional all the same, and lends the film an even greater sense of character.