The Banshees Of Inisherin Review: 9 Ups & 1 Down

8. It's Both Tragic & Hilarious

Martin McDonagh has proven himself to be a master of tragi-comedy in the past, and once again, he manages to expertly meld the emotionally devastating with the gut-bustingly funny.

On one hand, it's painful watching poor Pádraic (Farrell) grapple with the truth that his drinking pal Colm (Brendan Gleeson) no longer wants to be his friend, and on the other, the absurd means through which this plays out and escalates is blackly funny.

All in all McDonagh gets to have his cake and eat it here, saying something profound about loneliness, masculinity, and mortality, yet also deploying witty and silly wordplay to hysterical effect.

Few filmmakers could nail the balance quite so expertly, but by the time the end credits roll, you'll likely feel you've been on a richly well-rounded emotional journey that's as sad as it is amusing.