Enjoyed The Banshees of Inisherin? Here Are 8 Movies You Will Also Like

Martin McDonagh’s ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ is the story of a friendship that comes to a sudden end. While one friend wants to move forward with his life, the other is left to process the situation without ever knowing why the breakup had to happen. Starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in the lead roles, the film is a brilliant look at male friendships and presents the story in the volatile setting of the Irish Civil War. There are many underlying themes and motifs in the film, which makes for an excellent rewatch. If you are looking for more films that follow similar lines, then we have some suggestions for you.

8. Frances Ha (2012)

‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ sees two friends parting ways after one of them decides that they want something else. Something similar happens in ‘Frances Ha’. Starring Greta Gerwig in the lead role, this film follows the story of the titular character who is in her late-20s, trying to figure out where life’s going to take her. Her best friend is the only support system she has at the moment, but when even that starts to waver, Frances is forced to take another look at her life and has to make concrete decisions about who she wants to be. Directed by Noah Baumbach, the film has a sweet tinge of nostalgia and underlines the individuality of the protagonist, making the audience look at their own.

7. The Favourite (2018)

Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘The Favourite’ presents another look at a friendship that has a sad ending leaving its characters in despair which looks a lot like the way things end in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’. The film follows the story of Queen Anne of England and how her relationship with her old friend, Sarah Churchill, is affected after the arrival of Sarah’s cousin, Abigail. From the lens of Lanthimos, it is entertaining and absurd, but it makes for an entertaining watch that, at times, goes to really dark places. The film also boasts a stellar cast with Olivia Colman having received an Academy Award for her performance as Queen Anne. It might look and sound different from ‘Banshees’, but there are a lot of themes that the films share, especially when it comes to friendships.

6. Trainspotting (1996)

Friendships can have different meanings and not all of them are good. ‘Trainspotting’ works somewhere along those lines, following the story of a heroin addict and his friends who go through some very tough times in their lives. Directed by Danny Boyle, this black comedy has friendship as one of its core elements, while also expanding on other socially relevant issues. Its comedy is very subtle and pokes at different things, entertaining the audience, while also leaving them with a lot of food for thought.

5. Ingrid Goes West (2017)

One of the things that set ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ apart is the way it looks at friendship as something that becomes destructive for the protagonists. Unlike other stories, where sustaining a lifelong bond is presented as a great thing, this film twists that narrative and presents a darker side of the subject. ‘Ingrid Goes West’ works along the same line, with a very contemporary look at things. Starring the captivating Aubrey Plaza in the lead role, ‘Ingrid Goes West’ examines the need for friendship and what it means for people in today’s world. It follows Ingrid, hungry for a deep meaningful friendship, which she seeks by commenting on the Instagram accounts of influencers. Soon, however, a completely different aspect of the real world is revealed to her.

4. Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012)

‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, strictly speaking, is a break-up movie that focuses on the situation of the people involved, one of whom can’t fathom his life without the other. In fact, the entire town is so used to seeing them together that it feels impossible to see them apart and the reason for their break-up doesn’t make any sense. ‘Celeste and Jesse Forever’ has a similar premise. It follows the story of Celeste and Jesse who have been best friends forever. Things got problematic when they got married and then had to divorce. With both of them forced to look at their life without the other one, things get complicated. Despite their love for each other, they can’t be together and a whole lot of emotional trouble ensues.

3. Animals (2019)

In ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, Colm decides to break off the friendship with Padraic because they keep wasting their time on useless things. Colm wants to focus on more important things, like making music, and that’s what puts the distance between him and his best friend. In ‘Animals’, Laura is caught up in a similar situation, though she is not as aware of it as Colm is. She is a struggling writer and wants to write a novel. However, her best friend Tyler is more about partying her way out of life, and eventually, this conflict of interests creates problems for their friendship.

2. The Lobster (2015)

Starring Colin Farrell in the lead role, ‘The Lobster’ is another dark comedy that inspects the nature of relationships from a different lens. While ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ is much more straightforward in its approach to storytelling, ‘The Lobster’ relies on the creation of an absurd world to drive the point home. Despite the nature of its setting, it rings close to reality, commenting on how the world has skewed the necessity for a romantic relationship and the pressure that it puts on a person. In ‘Banshees’, we find the characters grappling with the breaking up of a relationship, but in ‘The Lobster’, the characters are found desperately struggling to secure one.

1. Y tu mamá también (2001)

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, ‘Y tu mamá también’ follows the story of two teenage best friends who go on a road trip and meet a woman much elder than them. This leads to a complicated affair where both of them discover a lot of things about themselves as well as each other. The film explores their friendship through an intimate lens, often looking at it through the fractured state of their class differences. By the end of the film, we see a great change in the friendship of the boys, who are morphed by their journey and the experience it brought them.