The Incomer, 2026.
Written and Directed by Louis Paxton.
Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O’Rourke, Emun Elliott, Michelle Gomez, John Hannah, Adam McNamara, Neil Bratchpiece, Paddy Kondracki, Annabella Forbes, Vanessa Donovan, and Natasha Reid.
SYNOPSIS:
On an Orkney 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.
In writer/director Louis Paxton’s The Incomer, siblings Isla (Gayle Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O’Rourke), both beaming with personality and impeccable comedic delivery, have lived alone on an Orkney isle for roughly 30 years, instructed by their father (John Hannah) to never accept the company of travelers. Why exactly they are the last ones left is rooted in some Scottish folklore passed down by dad, which also details the necessity of a generational sacrifice to the nearby sea to allow the offspring to live. It sounds like hokey nonsense that becomes even more suspicious when we see Isla conversing with a dirty “Fin Man” in the sea, also played by John Hannah, who reinforces the dangers of the sea and society on the mainland.
Isla’s purpose is to take care of herself and her dimwitted, literal-minded brother, with narration insisting that the situation is normal; they are seagulls of the island. Soon after introducing viewers to this idiosyncratic way of life, which includes occasionally dressing up like seagulls with plenty of straw and medieval-style facewear, hunting birds, and Isla entertaining Sandy with mythological tales, an incomer arrives: land eviction specialist Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson), tasked with bringing them to the mainland. Cue all sorts of shenanigans: the siblings know nothing about the outside world, let alone the past 30 years of technological advancements, so they react with comical violence (Isla is more protective and hilariously nutty in doing so, making for a genuinely gut-busting turn from Gayle Rankin). Daniel uses his cell phone to his advantage, posing as a wizard. He also begins telling some hysterical Lord of the Rings fanfiction that relates to his unfulfilling, droning job, in an attempt to win them over.
These groups (Daniel eventually has a reinforcement in an over-the-top survivalist, technically on suspension for violence on his last job) face off against one another, typically in scenes that are so damn funny with irreverent and eccentric dialogue that one almost hopes the movie goes nowhere. It doesn’t need to; that’s how consistently funny it is watching these two bicker back and forth and play mind games. Through that humor and the one-off scenes at Daniel’s office headquarters, a juxtaposition also comes to light: maybe the outside world isn’t as wonderful as it’s made out to be, and these crazy siblings, oddly enough, are doing something right, sticking to their small island away from society.
This isn’t necessarily a film about that in a political or current-events climate, but rather about how soul-draining a 9-5 office job can be when someone is also an awkward, introverted shut-in. Daniel is telling the siblings that everything will be better on the mainland, but given his defeated demeanor and realization that the job he took, thinking it would help people, hasn’t made his life better at all, it suggests it wouldn’t do much for them, either. Meanwhile, there is a traumatic aspect involving lies with the Fin Man (a being seemingly visible only to Isla) representing some shady aspects of her father, and a fear of leaving the isolated isle and joining society. There is a compelling argument on both sides that the film somehow succeeds despite also being a series of laugh-out-loud, rapid-fire dialogue jokes and visual gags.
This is further layered, as despite their differences, these three characters begin to like one another. In the case of the siblings, each of them having had no romantic or intimate encounters their whole lives, it also stirs those types of feelings, but wisely not reducing that element to a cheap punchline (especially in the case of Sandy, who is discovering his homosexuality). There are some reservations about the messaging regarding how Louis Paxton wraps up The Incomer. That almost doesn’t matter, considering how funny everything else is and how a beating heart lies at its core. Welcome The Incomer with open arms, it’s a laugh-riot with earned emotions.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
