I don’t know what it is about the British, but they have more or less perfected the genre of quirky, yet heartwarming dramedies. Last year, it was The Ballad of Wallis Island, a few years prior from Ireland it was The Banshees of Inisherin. This year, the torch is passed to Louis Paxton’s directorial debut, The Incomer. And if you have a soft spot for delightfully odd, eccentric British comedies, consider this your invitation for The Incomer.
On a remote island in the Orkney Isles, siblings Isla (Gayle Rankin, House of the Dragon) and Sandy (Grant O’Rourke, Grow) spend their days hunting birds and talking to mythical beasts while fighting off outsiders. They are content with their isolating lives, but deep down they yearn for something more. However, their lives change when Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson, The Paper), an awkward government official, arrives to relocate them.
From The Incomer’s opening moments, it is clear that storytelling is going to be at the films center. Isla and Sandy were raised on fables about their tiny isle, stories passed down with solemnity scripture. There are the Finfolk, who permit humanity to remain on this island as long as there is a human sacrifice every generation. There are warnings about mainlanders and the terrible “gifts” they bring with them. At first, these tales feel like the usual folklore meant to enchant and teach children. But you soon realize that these were never bedtime stories. These stories their parents have told were heavily constructed myths designed to obscure the truth and to keep them on their small isle.
So when Daniel arrives to relocate them, their mythology begins to fracture. The world that their parents built, equal parts fantasy and fear mongering, can’t withstand Daniel intrusion. Isla and Sandy respond the only way they know how, but turning Daniel into the villain of their own story. Clad in their elaborate bird costumes, they capture him and throw him in an abandoned pig barn. Hoping that “torturing” him will convince him to leave their island. What follows is a strange, dark comedic game of cat and mouse stretched across the Orkney Isles.
As expected, the trio forms an odd bond. But what I didn’t expect was the quiet reckoning that followed. As their isolation begins to erode, so too does their mythology that they have clung on to. Each of them, in their own way, are forced to confront the life they have built and the one they have been trying to avoid.
For all of its quirks and dry British humor, The Incomer reveals itself to be something far more tender. A medication of loneliness and mental health disguised as a twisted fish-out-of-water comedy. Sandy questions Isla’s stories consistently and each time he does, she silences him either with a lie or physically. Isla, for her part, clings to the folklore with near-religious conviction, even when she invents details for her own purposes on the fly. Deep down, she knows her parents’ stories are covering up something painful. While Daniel, he is suffocating in a job he despises. He signed up for this job to help people, but he believes he is actually hurting people.
All three of them are deeply lonely and within their shared isolation, they discover an unshakable bond. Quirks, squawks and all. The Incomer is far less interested in the practicalities of getting the siblings off the island, but is more concerned about the tender evolution of this unlikely trio as they discover family, friendship, and community. The journey here isn’t about geography, it’s about connection. This story of discovering connection is perfectly woven with dry British humor. The film is on a wavelength that is not for everyone, but those who are willing to tune in will find a delightful ride.
My Rating: A-
The Incomer is currently seeking US Distribution.
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