Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson’s Friendship Is On the Rocks in First Trailer for The Banshees of Inisherin

There’s no breakup quite as devastating as a best friend breakup, but imagine if that friend was also a neighbor on a small, seabound island off the Irish coast. Not only can you not really move on with your life; you still find yourself rooted there next to the person who was once your closest confidant, wondering how it all went wrong.

That’s more or less the premise of writer-director Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin, an adaptation of one of the celebrated playwright’s own works. And to make things that much more enticing for the film geeks in the audience, the two friends in question are Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, reunited from McDonagh’s own, beloved In Bruges from 2008. Only this time, the pair aren’t hitmen hiding out in Belgium, they’re bickering over the fallout of a lifelong friendship. Or as the official synopsis puts it:

Set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN follows lifelong friends Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship. A stunned Pádraic, aided by his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) and troubled young islander Dominic (Barry Keoghan), endeavours to repair the relationship, refusing to take no for an answer. But Pádraic’s repeated efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve and when Colm delivers a desperate ultimatum, events swiftly escalate, with shocking consequences.

The position of Farrell’s character is rather easy to put oneself in, but the trailer seems to imply that the understandable desire to repair the relationship will instead push it into dire, perhaps dangerous, territory. Regardless, we fully expect this to be another masterclass from the director of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, whose deft hand with character is present in all of his work. The first trailer for The Banshees of Inisherin displays both mystery and wry humor, and can be viewed below. The film is scheduled to hit theaters in the U.S. on Oct. 21, 2022.