Interview: Martin McDonagh Discusses the Surprising Reception to ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’

Martin McDonagh has, in fairly short order, become one of the more admired cinematic voices. Ever since his feature debut, In Bruges, blew folks away, he’s been someone people were excited to follow. Seven Psychopaths met with a muter reception, though admired for its ambition, but then Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri became a major Oscar player, followed by success. So, all eyes were on the next film, which turned out to be a smaller work in The Banshees of Inisherin. As McDonagh details in our recent conversation, he expected this one not to be as wildly embraced as it has been. I saw and dug it at the Toronto International Film Festival last month. Now, with the movie about to hit theaters, I’m thrilled to present my chat with McDonagh to you all, continuing the first phase of our interview coverage for the flick. You can see Barry Keoghan here, as well as Kerry Condon and Ben Davis next week!

This here is some of what I had to say about The Banshees of Inisherin in my TIFF review:

Filmmaker Martin McDonagh is at his least showy with The Banshees of Inisherin, but it’s in service of his most considered screenplay. The simple direction and lack of a “big” moment put the focus on the characters, which the script makes incredibly compelling. Everyone has personality here in spades, without it ever feeling quirky. McDonagh has a lot on his mind here, with no easy answers, either. That being said, for a movie that’s basically one big metaphor, it never feels like you’re being preached to, in the slightest.

Below, you can hear my conversation with McDonagh. Rather unsurprisingly, considering how darkly funny his works are, we laughed a lot. From his quick wit to the aforementioned surprise at the reception to this flick, it’s a really enjoyable chat. Just hearing about the movie makes you want to revisit it or see it for the first time, and that’s always a treat. The Banshees of Inisherin is about to hit theaters, so your chance is coming…

Here now is my interview with The Banshees of Inisherin filmmaker Martin McDonagh. Enjoy:

The Banshees of Inisherin hits theaters this weekend!