The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) Quiz

Answer: He just doesn't like him anymore.

Pádraic Súilleabháin leads a simple life. He lives with his sister, Siobhán, on the island of Inisherin. He tends to his animals, and sells milk to the local shopkeeper (and town gossip). And each day at two o'clock, he calls on Colm Doherty and they drink the day away. One spring day in 1923, Pádraic calls on Colm to find him sitting silently in his cottage, smoking and ignoring his calls to head to the pub. Everyone he meets finds the behaviour odd but they attempt to rationalise it ("Have ye been rowin'?"). His sister jokes, "Maybe he just doesn't like you no more."

Pádraic finally catches up with Colm, who is still giving him the cold shoulder, and corners him outside the pub. "Now, if I've done something to ya just tell me what I've done to ya, and if I've said something to ya, maybe I said somethin' when I was drunk and I've forgotten it, but I don't think I said somethin' when I was drunk and I've forgotten it, but if I did then tell me what it was and I'll say sorry for that too," he says. "With all me heart, I'll say sorry. Just stop running away from me like some fool of a moody schoolchild." Colm listens to Pádraic in stony silence. "But you didn't say anything to me. And you didn't do anything to me," Colm says matter-of-factly. "I just don't like you no more." A devastated Pádraic watches helplessly as Com finishes his pint and walks away.

Answer: It was April Fool's Day.

Siobhán returns home to find Pádraic sulking, which she finds very odd. A neighbour, Mrs. McCormick, stops by after supper. When Pádraic annoys them with his moping, Siobhán sends him packing to the pub, where he runs into Dominic, the policeman's son. Jonjo tries to throw him out until Dominic reminds him that he was only banned until April. Colm is there having an impromptu music session with some locals. Pádraic keeps his distance.

The next day, Pádraic is tearing away last month's page in the wall calendar at home when he realises what day it was yesterday. The thought that Colm could have been playing an elaborate April Fool's joke on him cheers him up considerably, and he intentionally runs his cows past Colm that morning to let him know that he's in on the joke and promises to call on him later on the way to the pub. His hopes are dashed when he gets to his cottage later to find that Colm has gone on to the pub without him again. "So you're going to be an eejit again today, is it?" he asks, after he catches up to him, complaining that he could be doing better things with his time than calling at his cottage every day. Colm proceeds to demonstrate what he has done with his time, playing a melody on his fiddle that he wrote that morning. "Tomorrow, I'll write the second part of it, and the day after I'll write the third part of it, and by Wednesday there'll be a new tune in the world," he explains, pointing out that he wouldn't have written anything if he spent the week listening to Pádraic. Dejected, Pádraic takes his pint to the table outside.

Answer: Dull

Colm follows Pádraic to the table outside the pub and tries what he thinks is a kinder approach. "I was too harsh yesterday," he begins. "I just have this tremendous sense of time slipping away on me, Pádraic, and I think I need to spend the time I have left thinking and composing, and just trying not to listen to any more of the dull things that you have to say for yourself. But I'm sorry about it. I am, like." Pádraic asks Colm if he is dying (he isn't) and then declares that he has loads of time. "For aimless chatting?" Colm asks. "Not for aimless chatting. For good normal chatting," Pádraic replies. "So we'll keep aimlessly chatting, and me life'll keep dwindling and in 12 years I'll die with nothin' to show for it bar the chats I've had with a limited man. Is that it?" Colm asks. "None of it helps me, do you understand? None of it helps me."

Later, Siobhán comes to her brother's defence and confronts Colm at the pub. "You can't just all of a sudden stop being friends with a fella!" she tells him. "Why can't I?" he asks defiantly. "Because it isn't nice!" Siobhán replies. "Has he said something to ya when he was drunk?" Colm explains that he actually prefers Pádraic when he's drunk, and that it's the rest of the time that he has problems with. Siobhán pushes him for a reason. "He's dull, Siobhán," Colm finally says. Siobhán is confused. "But he's always been dull. What's changed?" she asks. "I've changed," Colm replies wearily. "I just don't have a place for dullness in me life anymore." When Siobhán asks what Colm was hoping for living on an island off the coast of Ireland, Colm responds, just as wearily, "For a bit of peace, Siobhán. That's all. For a bit of peace, in me heart, like. You can understand that, can't ya?"

Answer: He will cut off his own fingers with a pair of shears.

Pádraic gets the priest to intervene on his behalf after Sunday mass, which leads to a rather awkward confession between Colm and the priest. Colm has had enough, so he seeks out Pádraic at the pub. "What I've decided to do is this," he tells Pádraic. "I have a set of shears at home, and each time you bother me from this day on, I'll take those shears and I'll take one of me fingers off with them, and I will give that finger to ya, a finger from me left hand, me fiddle hand, and each day you bother me more, another I'll take off and I'll give you, until you see sense enough to stop, or until I have no fingers left. Does this make things clearer to you?"

Dumbfounded, Pádraic stares back at Colm, who continues. "Because I don't want to hurt your feelings, Pádraic. I don't, like. But it feels like the drastic is the only option left open to me," he says. "You've loads of options left open to ya. How is fingers the first port of call?" Pádraic says. "Please don't talk to me no more, Pádraic. Please. I'm begging you," Colm replies. Pádraic decides to try a different tack. "Me and me sister were thinking you might just be a bit depressed, Colm. And, I'll tell you this much, fingers just confirms it," he whispers. Colm is unmoved. "Starting from now," he says. Colm raises the fingers of his fiddle hand to remind Pádraic of his threat, and holds up one finger against his lips to indicate silence. He leaves.

Answer: Peadar's son, Dominic

Pádraic begins spending more time with Dominic, the son of the local policeman, after he loses his regular drinking buddy. He even lets him stay over after he gets into trouble with his father for stealing his alcohol, but Dominic quickly annoys Siobhán with his incessant questions. "I'm off to bed and he's not staying here another night, Pádraic. I don't care how depressed you are. I'd rather have the donkey in," Siobhán declares, referring to Jenny, Pádraic's miniature donkey who he treats like a pet.

The next day, Pádraic travels into town to deliver milk to the local shop. Mrs O'Riordan, the shopkeeper, presses him for 'news'. He resists at first, but can't help himself when Peadar arrives and insults him. "There was a bit of news I remembered, Mrs O'Riordan," Pádraic begins. "Dominic Kearney's father beat Dominic senseless with a kettle Saturday, and is staying with me and me sister, Dominic is. So at least his father'll take a bit of a break from his beating of him, and him a policeman. Isn't that news?" He collects his money and leaves, but is punched in the head by Peadar outside the shop. Colm, who was passing by and saw the altercation, helps Pádraic to his feet and onto his cart. Seeing that Pádraic is too dazed to do anything in the moment, Colm hops onto the cart himself and guides the pony out of town. They ride along without speaking, until the awkward silence proves too much and Pádraic breaks down and sobs uncontrollably. Colm stops the cart at the fork in the road and places the pony's reins in Pádraic's hand, giving it a firm pat as he steps down from the cart and proceeds towards his cottage. Pádraic, still crying, watches Colm walking away from him, and proceeds down the other road towards home.

Answer: Nice

The pub is quite full that night, and Pádraic is careful to stay away from Colm. But as the night wears on and the whiskey flows, Pádraic eventually gathers up enough courage to walk over to his former friend. Sensing trouble, the pubkeeper sends Dominic to fetch Siobhán. Pádraic gives Colm a piece of his mind. "You, Colm Doherty, d'you know what you used to be?" he asks. "Nice! You used to be nice! And now, d'you know what you are? Not nice!" Colm tells him that "niceness doesn't last" but that "music lasts", and goes on to describe how no one from the 17th century is remembered for being nice, but that everyone remembers Mozart. Pádraic isn't having any of it. "I'm Pádraic Súilleabháin, and I'm nice," he says. "You used to be nice. Or did you never used to be?" A sad look of realisation comes across Pádraic's face. "Oh, God. Maybe you never used to be."

Pádraic exits the pub, leaving Siobhán to address Colm. "I'll have a word with him, Colm. You don't need to do anything drastic. He won't be bothering you no more," she says worriedly. "That's a shame," Colm replies. "That's the most interesting he's ever been. I think I like him again now."

Answer: No

Colm can't quite believe his eyes when he sees Pádraic coming up to him on the beach. "Listen, I didn't come down to chat, I just came down to say that all that last night was just the whiskey talking, Colm," he explains. "I just wanted to say I was sorry. Will we leave it at that?" Pádraic offers Colm his hand, which Colm refuses. "Why can't you just leave me alone, Pádraic?" he asks in frustration. Pádraic tries to make small talk but Colm doesn't engage and the moment becomes awkward, and he leaves Colm standing on the beach.

Siobhán returns home with the mail to find Pádraic sulking again. She is about to make them some porridge when there is a sudden loud thump coming from outside the cottage. Pádraic opens the front door to see Colm about a field over, walking away. He notices a spot of blood on the door and looks around, bending down to retrieve Colm's index finger from a planter on the ground. He goes back inside and closes the door. "What was that, a bird?" Siobhán asks. "No," Pádraic replies. "What was the bang at the door?" she asks impatiently. "It was, uh, a finger," he says. Pádraic holds up the bloody digit to show Siobhán, who screams in horror. He fetches an empty shoebox and places Colm's finger inside it. "Well, he's serious then," he says.

Answer: Dominic

Pádraic is talking to Dominic when the conversation turns to his outburst at the pub. "I don't understand why that fat fella threw the finger at ya. He seemed fine when you were slagging him," Dominic says. "He did not. Did he?" Pádraic asks. Dominic confirms it. "'That's the most interesting Pádraic's ever been,' he said. 'I think I like him again now.'" he says, quoting what Colm said that night, before offering some advice. "Maybe this whole thing has just been about getting you to try a new tack, start standing up for yourself a bit."

Pádraic decides to follow Dominic's advice and barges in on Colm in his cottage unannounced. He launches into a tirade about everything Colm has put him through, and he can't blame the whiskey this time as he isn't drunk. Colm seems almost impressed with this assertive new Pádraic, but he tries not to show it. "We were doin' so well, Pádraic," he says. "I wasn't doing so well. I was doing terrible," Pádraic replies. He asks Colm how the composing is coming along, and learns that he finished his song that morning. "That's great, like!" Pádraic says, genuinely happy for Colm. "What's it called?" Colm is so proud of his achievement that he obliges Pádraic. "'The Banshees of Inisherin', I was thinking," he replies. Pádraic congratulates Colm again and offers to run up ahead to the pub to order some celebratory pints for them. "Why don't you do that, Pádraic?" Colm says. Pádraic leaves for the pub happily. Colm sits silently for a moment, and then proceeds to retrieve the blood-stained pair of shears from the floor.

Answer: She's leaving Inisherin.

The nosy Mrs. O'Riordan had read Siobhán's mail and knows that she got a job offer from a library on the mainland. Siobhán finally decides to accept the offer, and she finds Pádraic in the pub to tell him she's leaving. "But what about me?" he asks as they are walking back home. "Who's going to do the cooking?" Siobhán is incredulous. "That's your first question, is it?" Their argument is interrupted by Colm walking up the lane from having just flung the remaining four digits of his left hand at their front door. They stand in shocked silence staring at Colm's bloody hand as he strolls casually past them towards his home.

Siobhán decides to leave for the mainland immediately and starts packing a suitcase, despite Pádraic's protests. "I can't be waitin' round for any more of this madness!" she says, and asks Pádraic what he said to Colm. "Well, I'd sort of had a chat with Dominic earlier, and a new sort of, you know, standin' up for meself sort of tack we thought I should try," he explains. "It was all going fine until he chopped off all his fingers." Pádraic and Siobhán say their goodbyes and Siobhán leaves for the dock. Pádraic goes to the cliff edge so that he can see Siobhán leaving on the boat and wave goodbye to her.

Pádraic returns home to find the lifeless body of his beloved donkey, Jenny, on the side of the house. She had tried to eat Colm's fingers and choked to death. He wraps Jenny in a shawl and buries her behind the house, before heading down to the pub.

Answer: He will burn down Colm's house.

Colm walks over to Pádraic when he sees him enter the pub. "I don't need your apologies. Alright? It's a relief to me. So let's just call it quits and agree to go our separate ways, for good this time," Colm says. He offers his right hand to Pádraic, who just stares at it. "Your fat fingers killed me little donkey today. So no, we won't call it quits. We'll call it the start," he says. "So tomorrow, Sunday, God's day, around two, I'm going to call up to your house, and I'm going to set fire to it, and hopefully you'll still be inside it. But I won't be checking either way. Just be sure and leave your dog outside. I've nothing against that gom. Or you can do whatever's in your power to stop me. To our graves we're taking this. To one of our graves, anyways."

The next day, Pádraic follows through on his promise and sets fire to Colm's cottage with him still inside, but Colm throws a chair through a window and escapes unscathed. The final scenes of the film play out over a narration of an exchange of letters between Siobhán and Pádraic. Siobhán writes to her brother to invite him to join her on the mainland to escape the "bleakness and grudges and loneliness and spite" on Inisherin. Pádraic writes back to decline her offer and lies to her about Jenny still being alive and that there was "no other news". The next day, Pádraic finds Colm standing on the beach in front of the smouldering remains of his cottage. Colm apologises again for Jenny, but Pádraic makes it clear that their feud is far from over. The film ends with Pádraic walking away, the distance between the two men becoming greater and greater.