INCOMER, THE
(director/writer: Louis Paxton; cinematographer: Patrick Golan; editor: Brian Philip Davis; music: Tom Kingston; cast: Domnhall Gleeson (Daniel), Michelle Gomez (Roz), Emun Elliott (Calum), Gayle Rankin (Isla), Grant O’Rourke (Sandy), John Hannah (The Fin Man); Runtime: 97; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Emily Gotto, Shirley O’Connor; BFI; 2026-UK/Ireland)
“An off-beat character study which at times is cringe-worthy.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
An off-beat character study which at times is cringe-worthy. It’s a folklore comedy written and directed by Scottish filmmaker Louis Paxton, in his feature film debut.
The reclusive brother and sister, Sandy (Grant O’Rourke) and Isla (Gayle Rankin), whose parents are deceased, have lived alone for 30 years on their remote northern Scotland island without meeting another person. One day they receive a timid urban visitor, Daniel (Domnhall Gleeson), a geeky land recovery co-ordinator sent there by his pompous supervisor (Michelle Gomez) to evict them.
The siblings call mainland visitors like Daniel ‘Incomers.’ His presence irks the feisty Isla, who knocks him out by hitting him on the head with a rock. The siblings tie him up and make him their captive, and engage him in conversation. They reveal they were descended from seagulls and act like gulls as part of their manufactured mythological beliefs. He tries to explain to them how in his world the Internet has become a vital part of his life. The siblings begin to care about him because he’s so quiet and he dazzles them with his smartphone. In the process, he becomes friendly with Sandy and smitten with the feral Isla.
Sandy is a lovable dolt, who takes to Daniel’s modern-day tech magical powers, as the bureaucrat mid-level manager gains his trust.
The siblings believe they can’t leave the island because of the bogus myth about the Fin Man (John Hannah), a hybrid seal-human, who is in the water and will bring them down to the darkness if they try to go to the mainland.
In the final act, Daniel’s meanie government boss sends Callum (Emun Elliott) and other goons to remove the siblings by force. The strange siblings are more sympathetically portrayed than the familiar government officials.
Its juvenile humor, absurdity, and sentimentality made me initially blow it off as rubbish. But I realized the weird comedy is not without its charms and offers a valuable life lesson about the fear of the unknown being an obstacle to overcome, and that most importantly being a good person doesn’t reflect necessarily on how you were brought up.
It played at the Sundance Film Festival.
REVIEWED ON 3/13/2026 GRADE: B-
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