The continuity of species and when they meet in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’

Abstract

In this article, the humanity-animality binomial is discussed in three stages, initially based on Agamben’s notion of the “anthropological machine,” with the aim of framing the analytical perspective adopted around the idea that the human being has been forged through incessant separations between humanity and animality. In the second stage, space is opened for reflections that seek to understand and overcome the notion of alleged human exceptionalism in relation to other forms of life, since the exploitative relationships humanity has established with the environment are founded precisely on this fallacy. In the third stage, the discussion turns to how and to what extent these problematizations surrounding the humanity-animality binomial can be exemplified, or even expanded, through the film The Banshees of Inisherin. The film is treated as a cultural artifact with the potential to support reflections on human relationships with the environment in general and with companion species in particular. The analysis of animal presence in the film, especially through the character of the little donkey Jenny, reveals how the bonds between humans and non-human animals go beyond utilitarian coexistence, exposing worlds shaped by affections, histories, and ethical co-existences.