Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are outstanding in “The Banshees of Inisherin.” (photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures)

What would a day in the mind of Martin McDonagh be like? First, “In Bruges” shirked expectations as a tragic purgatory story laced with regret and death. “Seven Psychopaths” concerned intent with similar themes, topped off with a knockout take on violent resolution. Then “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” delivered some outstanding performances.

But McDonagh’s latest is something. “The Banshees of Inisherin” channels Aesop and Shakespeare with a penchant for blood.

Padraic (Colin Farrell) might be the prototype for ghosting. On the isle of Inisherin, a fictional locale removed by a modest body of water from the Irish Civil War nearing its end in 1923, the island locals have far too much time on their hands, gossiping about every little thing and spending each day like the last.

Plenty of folks might find it wonderful, calming, relaxing. Not bestie Colm (Brendan Gleeson). He’s had enough. Unprompted, Colm wants nothing to do with Padraic. He first attempts the classic ghost, but their friendship has gone on for so long, and Inisherin is just too small. So Colm comes clean: he no longer enjoys Padraic’s company.

It’s harsh, comically so. You see, Colm fancies himself a cultured man. Rather than spend an afternoon at the nearby pub describing his little horse’s stool, Colm would rather write songs on his fiddle. Apparently Padraic kills the intellectual, cultural mood by virtue of his presence.

I have such a hard time with “Banshees.” The idea of a friendship severed at the knee like this feels so cold, so painfully cruel. On one hand, people should be able to choose their friends. On the other, this is so sad to witness. Then things quickly get worse.

Padraic can’t accept this. Perhaps rightly so. Who does this? And his handling is so cringe. He believes it’s a joke or mood that changes by the day. He tries to pull out a secret weapon to win back his once not future BFF: small tack. Oh boy.

Colm, desperate to escape Padraic, presents him with the most obscure ultimatum. He needs to stop talking to Colm all together. If he doesn’t, Colm will remove a finger each time he does, starting with his fiddling hand. Now that’s a dig to the ol’ self-esteem: “I would rather cut off my own finger, give up playing music, than talk to you again.”

The pair’s conflict remains at the forefront, but a couple characters drop by. Padraic’s sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) also doesn’t understand Colm’s decisions. She even lands the occasional dig at Colm when he tries to discuss cultural matters, things she is far more versed in.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” is certain to be a contender at the Academy Awards. (photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures)

Dominic (Barry Keoghan), son of the local guard, is a rather obnoxious fellow. The first night he’s allowed back in a pub, he immediately heckles some performers. He knows polite conversation topics, especially among those who house him after evil pops whoops him.

And yet, Padraic has no one else to hang out with now. Perhaps that’s how Colm always felt about Padraic: a lack of options, nothing else to do anyways.

To call “Banshees” a comedy seems a stretch. Even more so to claim it’s a dark comedy, at least in any conventional sense. I can honestly say, there are very few films that feel like this one. The closest would be Yorgos Lanthimos’ films (“The Favorite,” “The Lobster”), but only kindred spirits, films doing their own weird thing.

And then there’s the matter of the title’s meaning. Well, that should be something you explore on your own. Watch, observe, reflect, debate with peers about what it all means. The time period certainly means something, as does the presence of one character that feels like an homage to the three witches from “Macbeth.”

During awards season, “Banshees” is a primary competitor, already stealing best comedy-musical at the Golden Globes from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” – which I can’t help but balk at. “Banshees” is marvelous, but not better than the best. But it is second best. (And the Foreign Press also snubbed Brendan Fraser following his attack on the organization for past harassment, so let’s not lift our suspicions of those odd gatekeepers just yet.)

Regardless of “The Banshees of Inisherin’s” awards chances, which are high, it’s a remarkable experience. Farrell’s performance is incredible, Gleeson’s presence magnanimous – Condon’s as well. And for a fourth straight time, McDonagh upends expectations. What he does next will be just as surprising, impossible to predict.