THE STORY – On a remote Scottish isle, siblings Isla and Sandy hunt birds and talk to mythical beings while fighting off outsiders. Their lives change when Daniel, an awkward official, arrives to relocate them.
THE CAST – Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O’Rourke, Emun Elliott, Michelle Gomez & John Hannah
THE TEAM – Louis Paxton (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 102 Minutes
In Louis Paxton’s delightful and hilarious first feature, “The Incomer,” we are invited into a world that feels like a modern piece of island folklore. The film opens with the narration of a tale about a brother and a sister living in isolation on an island—a place where the crashing of the sea and the cry of seagulls are its music. It’s an atmospheric introduction that immediately establishes the film’s unique mythos, framing the lives of its protagonists as something both timeless and fragile.
The siblings at the heart of this story, Isla (Gayle Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O’Rourke), have spent thirty years in profound isolation on Auk Isle. Clad in handmade bird outfits and surviving on a diet of seagull meat, they represent a survivalist extremity that initially borders on the menacing. They have been raised on a strict doctrine of mistrust: never allow “incomers” onto their shores. We see them preparing for a literal war, battering sandbags labeled “incomer” with stone clubs. Yet, Paxton cleverly balances this tension with a sharp, effective comedic backbone, utilizing deadpan humor to humanize their eccentricity.
The arrival of Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson), a hapless land recovery coordinator tasked with their eviction, catalyzes a poignant exploration of loneliness and the stories we construct to comfort ourselves. For Daniel, the island is a terrifying first face-to-face eviction in a career defined by the cold, stark white walls of an office and angry phone calls. For Isla and Sandy, he is the embodiment of the very threat they’ve spent their lives fearing. The film excels in these early, friction-filled interactions, such as the hilarious jump cut from Daniel’s boss, who assures him this experience will be good for him, to him screaming as Isla holds him over a cliff’s edge.
Beneath the kooky exterior lies a deeper, more vulnerable narrative. We learn that Isla and Sandy’s parents died when they were small, Rankin capturing an abandonment of childhood to become a mother figure, with O’Rourke capturing a man whose mental development remains childlike. Isla’s secret collection of mainland items washed ashore reveals a buried craving for a connection to the world she outwardly rejects. Even the hallucinations of the “Fin Man,” a folkloric creature trying to lure her into the sea, underscore her profound isolation.
Thematic framing is further enriched through the film’s focus on storytelling. Daniel’s presence causes a fascinating shift in the siblings’ dynamic, especially when he begins to integrate his own mainland lore into their lives. In a particularly clever scene, he recounts the story of “The Lord of the Rings,” warping it to fit the mundane frustrations of his own job. It’s a moment revealing Daniel’s own dissatisfaction with his life, suggesting that perhaps the civilized world he represents isn’t so great after all.
While the film’s momentum wanes slightly, making its runtime feel a bit stretched, the emotional payoff is undeniably sweet. The initiation rituals and shared meals, including a wonderfully uncomfortable discussion about veganism, lead to a bond that feels earned. By the time help eventually arrives from the mainland, the question isn’t just whether the siblings will be forcibly relocated, but whether Daniel will allow that.
“The Incomer” is a compelling journey through resilience and the unexpected joy that comes from lowering one’s guard. It’s an oddball friendship story that reminds us that while we might tell ourselves stories to survive, it is the genuine human bond that truly allows us to live. It is a heartwarming portrait of three outsiders finding their place in the world.
