I don’t know why simultaneously-funny-and-devastatingly-sad is my vibe, but it is. And this movie is very much my vibe. I laughed more than I expected and felt devastated a bit more than I expected too.
Farrell and Gleeson are phenomenal in this, but so is Kerry Condon. I feel like she’s been a bit overlooked in all the talk about this film. She plays in a range of emotion that rivals what Farrell is doing here. But Farrell is, of course, the major focus of the film and deserves every bit of the praise he’s getting. He has great comedic timing here, and I’m a sucker for acting that tells you everything you need to know about a character’s thought life through the facial expressions on display. Gleeson’s consistent reticence plays well off of what Farrell is doing and pays off all the more with that ending.
Thematically, there is a lot going on here. There is an obvious but not overblown parallel to the civil war on the main land in this story, but I think the writing here makes that less interesting than the characters themselves and what will become of their relationship. Perhaps the parallel is less about comparison and more about contrasting significance. What matters more, larger scale conflicts that seem to recur in a never ending cycle or smaller conflicts between friends and family and the effects they have on their communities? Perhaps the latter means more not only at a personal level but also because of the snowball effects meanness, unforgiveness, and vengeful grudges have on communities, nations, the world.
One thing that I love about movies like this is the sad hope that is hiding beneath the surface of what seems nihilistic at worst and pessimistic at best. One could read this as a parable of the negative effects of human nature and the cyclical loop of depression. And I don’t blame anyone for seeing that. But I see two men at odds not because of they’re worst qualities (though those qualities started the conflict), but because of the love and companionship they long for deeply. They may hate each other to a degree, but they still love each other. There is no indifference between these men. And that’s where the hope lies. It’s beneath the surface in the fact that without some sort of love and care, there would be no real conflict to begin with. Behind all conflict, there is both hatred and love, both the evil and good of humanity. It is still up to Padraic and Colm how they will resolve (or not) their differences. The banshee may watch and sow seeds of hostility, but she does not determine their fate. They do. I choose to believe there is still hope there, and my desire is that I would choose hope for any relationship I have no matter how fare gone it may seem.
Maybe I’m reading a bit too much into this. And if that makes me a feckin’ arse, then so be it. I’m like the ever loyal Jenny the Donkey. Hopeful to the end, just trying to remind you that there’s always someone who cares, no matter how bleak things may seem.
