BIG SCREEN

The Banshees of Inisherin

Need to Know
Director Martin McDonagh brings back the winning team of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson from his cult classic In Bruges and lets their characters unravel themselves in another interesting narrative. This time set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, two lifelong friends find themselves in an unexpected dilemma when one decides to abruptly cut ties with the other.

Director: Martin McDonagh
Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, Gary Lydon, Pat Short

Why Is It Worth Watching?
Martin McDonagh has a short but highly regarded list of movies under his belt, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Seven Psychopaths to name two. Prior to these, in 2008 he put out In Bruges, a black comedy-drama crime film, that was his feature-length debut and starred Farrell and Gleeson as the unexpected duo driving the story. The two of them didn’t just perfectly suit their own roles in that outing but complemented each other impeccably throughout whenever they shared screentime together, almost like a cynic’s Batman and Robin if you will.
Over a decade since then, The Banshees of Inisherin sees McDonagh reunite the pair on screen once again, this time in a tragi-comedy scenario. The events are set in the 1920s and follow two lifelong friends Pádraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson) who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship. A distressed and confused Pádraic then tries his best to figure out and repair their relationship, only to be turned down at every attempt. Pádraic’s repeated efforts then lead Colm to give him a unexpected ultimatum and events soon escalate, with shocking consequences.

The Last Of Us

Need to Know
The Last of Us is a gripping post-apocalyptic drama television series on HBO, that’s been created by Craig Mazin of Chernobyl fame and Neil Druckmann, creator of the highly acclaimed video game the show is adapted from.
After a global pandemic destroys civilisation, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may prove to be humanity’s last hope.

Director: Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Anna Torv, Nick Offerman, Gabriel Luna, Merle Dandridge

Why Is It Worth Watching?
Taking place in 2023, the show is set 20 years into a global pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection that transforms its hosts into zombie-like creatures and leads to the collapse of society and life as we know it.
The story may initially seem to be based around this major plot point as the obvious antagonist and centre of events. Instead, it chooses to focus on the people who are left occupying what remains of the world and their ways of persevering, which is at times surprising or downright shocking as the human race stares at its looming and eventual end.
In the midst of all this, the show draws our attention to a love story, not the usual romantic kind that we’re all too familiar with but something few may consider, a far more potent one – the love a parent has for their child.
Staying true to the multiple-award-winning game, the series manages to capture the astonishing depth around this dark, violent and melancholic story that highlights the best and worst parts of humanity as everything around them is falling apart or, in this case, attempting to infect and kill them. After all, despite the impending doom and death at every turn, the film is truly about the last of us.