“The Incomer”
(Ireland/UK)
Metacritic (8/10), Letterboxd (4/5), Imdb.com (8/10), TMDB.com (8/10), Imdb.com critics review
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The world can be a scary place with its perilous dangers and deceptive temptations, be they real or imagined. This is particularly so for those who have been isolated, with little or no contact with the outside, often buying into misleading superstitions and exaggerated risks. And so it is for a pair of almost-feral siblings, Isla (Gayle Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O’Rourke), the sole human inhabitants on the remote, windswept island of Ork located off the Scottish mainland. These de facto survivalists have resided there for 30 years after the immigration of all of the island’s other residents when lured away by the enticements of the mainland. Their parents, however, chose to stay, telling Isla and Sandy that the island was theirs as long as they protected it from incursions by “incomers” from the mainland. Not long thereafter, however, their parents died, leaving them to fend for themselves. They somehow learned how to survive, but they also developed some unique outlooks and practices, such as beliefs based on fantastic mythic tales involving trickster sea creatures and forging a ritualistic nature cult centered on the island’s only other residents, hordes of aggressive seagulls. Their lives take a sudden turn, though, when they receive a visit from an incomer representing a government agency seeking to relocate them off the island, Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson), a sheepish mid-level bureaucrat who fancies himself something of a closet wizard. Thus begins the clash of two different cultures that each try to influence the other to their way of thinking. In the process, Daniel’s mission becomes derailed as he falls for their rustic existence as Isla and Sandy become increasingly curious about life beyond their island. How will this scenario play out, especially when Daniel’s colleagues Callum (Emun Elliott) and Roz (Michelle Gomez) show up to see what happened to the eviction plan? Such is the charm that makes up this delightful debut feature from writer-director Louis Paxton, a genuine crowd-pleaser full of offbeat, quirky humor, a surprising number of tender (but not schmaltzy) moments, gorgeous cinematography and an intriguing, abstract, eclectic score. There’s much to be said for the trio of principals, too, with Rankin and O”Rourke playing perfect eccentric foils to Gleeson’s deadpan straight man. The picture also makes effective use of monochromatic animation in just the right amounts at just the right points in the narrative to depict the folksy tall tales that help to define the character of this remote and mythic locale, a nice touch that could have become tedious were it not for the filmmaker’s judicious restraint. While a few of the comic bits don’t land quite as effectively as they might have, most of them work well in this multilayered story that plays like an unusual cross between “Local Hero” (1983) and “The Birds” (1963) (yes, you read that right). “The Incomer” is an impressive premiere for a promising cinematic talent, and, fortunately for us and unlike Daniel, you don’t have to go quite so far afield to experience it.