Banshees
Have you ever seen the movie “ The Banshees of Inisheerin”?
It’s a quirky story set on a desolate Irish island consisting of one pub, one church, many sheep and a few characters drawn from a Joycean dream. For 90% of the story, it is depressing and almost skeletal in its portrayal of life on this outcrop of rock in the ocean. The houses are all thatched, white-washed cottages and the people as enigmatic as the landscape.
The story is centred around 3 characters; 2 lifelong friends and a donkey. The plot follows an obscure line that requires considerable patience, like a 2,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. You assemble all the edge pieces then work your way to the middle. But in this case, you don’t have the box cover as a guide. It is about personal boundaries, personal goals and personal integrity and many more things that we have talked about. Suddenly and without warning the friendship ends. It’s a devastating, baffling situation. Not until the very end are we shown the cause, the effect and the resolution.
The significant question that weaves through the story is “Why?”. The answer doesn’t really matter and it’s certainly not apparent, but it’s the hook that leads you on. At some point sooner or later (usually later), the light comes on and the puzzle is complete. Then stand back to appreciate the scene without seeing the intricate lines that join them.
Life is a metaphor, a series of veiled explanations that we are given to unravel or assemble like a puzzle. Similes are okay but too easy, whereas metaphors require a leap, not of faith, but of understanding. That is the underlying current in “Banshees”. That is the puzzle I’m assembling, the game I’m playing. When the spinning bottle points to me, I’m bubbling over with metaphors.
That’s what I try to do when I offer a response to a question. I’m not trying to be difficult or obscure, I am inviting someone else to make that same leap with me or, at least offer a challenge and engage in a debate so that I know they understand and I have made my point.
“How does that make you feel?” “It makes me feel good.” It’s an answer, but it’s not enough. “Good” is so relative that it’s almost meaningless. When I throw something on the table, I’m hoping that it gets picked up. When it doesn’t, I feel let down.
“Banshees” is a magician with a long and intricate setup leading to the grand reveal. Even so, as a metaphor, it still requires some assembly. The magician will never tell, but he may leave you clues. That’s what I’m looking for, to see the glimmer in someone else’s eye, an AH-HA moment of shared understanding, or a resounding NO. That leads to challenge and debate and here is where I can test my position. Let the show begin.
If my answers seem obscure, it’s because I’m looking for a response, either a challenge or a demand for an explanation. Taking in what I’ve seen and heard, I make a leap, hoping that someone is in the air beside me. When it is met with silence or puzzlement I”m disappointed. I want to explain but there’s no time or opportunity.
Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.