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This week’s Cinechats selection: The Banshees of Inisherin

The campus community is invited to enjoy a film screening presented by Cinechats, which is supported in part by ºÚÁÏÍø, Durham College, Arts Forum and the Durham Council for the Arts. Age restrictions apply, as most films are rated for those 18 years of age and older.

This week’s selection is The Banshees of Inisherin (U.K./USA/Ireland, 2022). It's April 1, 1923, and a more literal civil war rages on the mainland. But the fight between the two erstwhile friends has nothing to do with politics or partisanship. To Pádraic (Colin Farrell), it is arbitrary and unjust; to Colm (Brendan Gleeson), it is an expression of a re-evaluation of his life:  "We'll keep aimlessly chatting and my life will keep dwindling... I'll die with nothing to show for it."  When Pádraic's sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) tries to uncover the reason for the breach, Colm tells her, "He's dull... I've changed. I just don't have a place for dullness in my life anymore."  

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, this film reunites him with Farrell and Gleeson after 2008's darkly comedic "In Bruges." This film, too, is startlingly offbeat in tone. On the surface, it plays as straight-faced drama. One part quirky character study, and one part dryly dark comedy with a seasoning of irony, it is gently paced, with a small cast. The result is highly unconventional, getting points for first-rate acting and sheer originality in the midst of its theatre of the absurd scenario.

Schedule and Venue

  • Thursday, March 30, 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6), Science Building, Room UA 1220
  • Thursday, April 6, 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6), Science Building, Room UA 1220
  • Thursday, April 13, 7:15 p.m. (doors open at 7), Science Building, Room UA 1220

For more information about Cinechats, call 905.576.0359. Note: Film selections are subject to change.