DVD REVIEW: ‘Banshees of Inisherin,’ ‘Tar’ tell compelling tales

Our musts: “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Tar,” both excellent examples of acting at its finest.

In “Banshees,” writer/director Martin McDonagh embraces the quiet moments, showing what happens when one friend tells another he doesn’t want to be around him anymore.

The year is 1923 – when folks couldn’t just unfriend someone on social media – and the two (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) routinely drink together at the local pub. When this change of heart occurs, it ruffles nearly everyone in their Irish village.

Thanks to McDonagh’s wild writing (remember “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”?), it’s never boring, always telling. Because Padraic (Farrell) needs someone to talk to, he often relies on his sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) to hear him out.

A simple summit, though, isn’t what this takes. Deadly serious about his shunning, Colm (Gleeson) says he’ll cut off a finger if Padraic talks to him. Sure enough, he’s a man of his word.

Meanwhile, others ponder their own fate. Young Dominic (Barry Keoghan) is smitten with Siobhan and doesn’t know if he should tell her. When he tries to make a move, “Banshees” has one of those moments that will be held up as a lesson in acting. Keoghan is so wonderful, he can express hurt and hope with one small gesture. He’s destined to be a Best Supporting Actor nominee and should win. Condon is just as nuanced and she, too, could figure into the big sweepstakes.

Farrell, who has so many different films on this year’s resume, shows he’s more than just a name on a poster. He’s a magnetic actor who works well in any number of situations. “Banshees” could be the film that puts him in the upper ranks of all actors.

While much of the film is verbal, McDonagh plusses it with beautiful views of the landscape. It may be set 100 years ago, but it has plenty to say to us now.

makes ‘Tar’ sing“Tar,” meanwhile, goes behind a superstar image and tries to reveal what makes a legend tick. Cate Blanchett plays Lydia Tar, a world-class conductor who, somehow, has an EGOT and an ego to match. She dismisses people routinely and isn’t likely to let anyone penetrate her self-built wall. She’s a force – but one with a crack. When detractors discover it, they pounce and she becomes a target for those she stepped on.

Blanchett makes seemingly bland rehearsals pop and awkward home scenes linger. She’s met a few Tars, obviously, and knows those traits that make them seem so utterly ripe for disdain.

When fortunes turn, she hides out and looks at old tapes that remind her what once was.

Directed by Todd Field, “Tar” dissects the world of what some consider a bully. It doesn’t say she’s right or wrong, but it does amplify those moments that could make others hate her.

Tar’s partner, Sharon (Nina Hoss), provides the most insight, largely because she has been a victim of her wife’s cavalier ways. When their daughter is bullied at school, Lydia attacks the bully and reveals just how determined she is to win.

As in “Banshees,” words matter. Tar chooses hers, but, sometimes, they’re not received the way they’re intended. In all ways, hers is a cautionary tale for everyone.