Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are bona fide international film stars, but every so often they bring the magic home.
Banshees of Inisherin, their latest movie with director Martin McDonagh, is set on a windswept, fictional island on Ireland’s west coast. On Friday night, in real life, they brought Hollywood glamour to its Irish premiere at the Light House cinema in Dublin.
“Film is the thing that took me away from Ireland but it is the thing now that brings me back,” said Farrell.
“Does my heart get invoked in a deeper way and from a deeper place when I come home and do an Irish film? You’d better believe it.”
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But does the Dublin duo feel an obligation to Irish cinema? “I feel an obligation –,” said Farrell, “to good Irish cinema”, his co-star Gleeson interjected, completing his sentence.
It is the kind of synergy that arguably makes their acting partnership the success it is, whether in Banshees or in 2008′s In Bruges, also directed by McDonagh. The trio have wanted to reunite, and first discussed the possibility of their latest collaboration seven years ago.
This outing, according to the general critical response and a 15-minute standing ovation at last month’s Venice Film Festival, certainly qualifies as “good Irish cinema”.
“When the writing’s this good and his direction… it’s kind of a no-brainer,” said Gleeson, who points out instantly that he is, in fact, based in Ireland.
Living at home or abroad, starring in American or other productions, Farrell and Gleeson’s homecoming on Friday was triumphant, attended by the cream of the Irish arts.
[ When Brendan Gleeson met Colin Farrell: ‘We hit it off — in a fundamental way’Opens in new window ]
From the film world, directors Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan were due to attend, as was Brenda Fricker. Bono and Ali Hewson posed for photographs with the film’s principals.
Banshees’ plot is a kind of inversion of Farrell and Gleeson’s relationship – their characters’ mutual reliance upended when Colm (Gleeson) decides he no longer has the time nor desire to speak to Pádraic (Farrell).
Much of the story is taken up with why this should be; a seemingly unprovoked breakdown in relations set against rugged Irish landscapes and the audible, distant sounds of a civil war.
McDonagh, himself of Irish roots, has been praised for his presentation of that Irish landscape, however quaint (they built their own Irish pub on Achill Island in Co Mayo).
“You wouldn’t have thought you needed to in Ireland,” the director laughed. “Capturing the beauty of the west of Ireland on camera was the number one priority, as if it’s like a character.”
As Star Wars did for the Skellig Islands, the residents of Achill Island hope Banshees might deliver for them.
[ Colin Farrell wins best actor at Venice International Film FestivalOpens in new window ]
Relishing the moment and clad in tuxedos, Achill’s tourism representatives strolled down the red carpet on Friday, captivated by the glitter that was falling on their Atlantic island.
“It’s rocking,” said Chris McCarthy of Achill Tourism. “Even at the moment [people] are coming into the office. We hope to have a tour organised.”
Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin, too, was on hand to ensure Banshees delivered for the islands. “To be showcased [in film], you can’t put a monetary value on that,” she said of Achill and the Skelligs, illuminated by the silver screen. “A whole new international audience will want to travel there now.”
