Martin McDonagh expertly threads humour and pathos like a master weaver who knows exactly when to change colours.

The Banshees of Inisherin is not just a beautifully written screenplay. This deeply affecting, warmly humorous, beautifully acted and handsomely photographed (by Ben Davis) film is a major work and top of my list for the best film of 2022.

As a comedy duo, Farrell and Gleeson are money in the bank, just as they were in McDonagh’s first feature In Bruges. As a pairing of actor and filmmaker, Farrell and McDonagh are no less in sync.

McDonagh’s film is a dark delight, but also a dour revelation, as uncompromising as its subjects and just as resolved about reaching its own sour destiny.