The Incomer ★★★★

Released: 4 September 2026

Director: Louis Paxton

Starring: Domnhall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O’Rourke

Writer-director Louis Paxton has a decent number of short films under his belt, but The Incomer marks his first foray into feature filmmaking. Starring Domhnall Gleeson (About Time) and Gayle Rankin (House of the Dragon), the film follows siblings Isla (Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O’Rourke), who hunt birds and talk to mythical beings while fighting off outsiders on a remote Orkney island. Their unusual way of life is disrupted when Daniel (Gleeson), an awkward council official, arrives with plans to relocate them. Wonderfully weird, with humorous dialogue, strong performances and a surprising amount of heart, The Incomer is a quirky and funny delight, with beautiful Scottish landscapes to match.

There’s a certain strangeness to The Incomer that won’t be for everyone, but those willing to embrace its eccentricities are in for a treat. In many ways, it plays like a weirder cousin of The Ballad of Wallis Island or The Banshees of Inisherin, combining luscious green island and isolated landscapes with the kind of cutting black comedy audiences have become increasingly accustomed to. Paxton throws a mythical element into the mix too, with John Hannah (The Mummy) making a surprising supporting appearance as a figment of Isla’s imagination, while the unusual vocabulary shared by the island-dwelling siblings creates a hilarious contrast with Daniel’s comparatively ‘normal’ way of speaking. Then there are the rituals, peculiar traditions and occasions where Isla and Sandy dress themselves as birds. It could all become a little too much, yet Paxton commits so wholeheartedly to the film’s peculiar world that its oddities quickly become part of the charm. Anyone with a penchant for something a little different should find plenty to admire here.

Beneath all the weirdness lies a surprising amount of heart, with Paxton grounding his more eccentric ideas in themes that give The Incomer considerably more depth than its kooky exterior might suggest. Grief is explored in particularly unusual ways, but there’s plenty more bubbling beneath the surface, from the impact isolation can have on the mind to the contrasting freedoms and limitations of living wildly versus within conventional civilisation. Isla and Sandy’s relationship opens the door to sibling rivalry, jealousy and an underlying desire for independence, while Daniel’s arrival brings questions of human connection and belonging to the forefront. Most importantly, the film explores the desire to be truly seen and establish an identity, something that becomes increasingly poignant as the story progresses. There’s a surprising amount to unpack, yet Paxton handles each idea with care, allowing them to emerge organically rather than weighing the story down with an abundance of messages. Juxtaposed against such an unusual set-up, this emotional sincerity makes The Incomer as thoughtful and accessible as it is delightfully strange.

Paxton may provide humour and thought-provoking ideas on the page, but it’s his excellent cast who bring them to life with such confidence and understanding. Domhnall Gleeson is fantastic as ever as Daniel, an outsider who initially arrives simply to relocate the siblings but gradually discovers something on the island that appears to be missing from his own mundane existence. Gayle Rankin is equally impressive as Isla, naturally embodying her hardened exterior before carefully charting the character’s gradual softening as the story progresses. Still grieving the loss of her parents and terrified of potentially leaving the only life she knows behind, Isla proves far more complex than first appearances suggest, particularly as an unexpected romance begins to blossom. Grant O’Rourke frequently steals the laughs as Sandy, whose charming naivety and bubbly personality conceal a surprisingly violent streak, made all the funnier by his genuine inability to understand why some actions might be considered wrong. Yet O’Rourke also handles the character’s grief beautifully, contrasting Rankin’s performance by demonstrating how differently two siblings can process the same loss. Together, the trio completely understand the assignment, embracing the oddball comedy without ever losing sight of the very real people underneath it. By the time the credits roll, you’ll have fallen in love with all three of them.

Not every laugh lands, and the deliberately quirky dialogue is occasionally pushed a little too far, but these are minor complaints in an otherwise hugely enjoyable feature debut. Wonderfully performed, beautifully shot and packed with both eccentric humour and genuine heart, The Incomer finds surprising emotional depth beneath its peculiar exterior. Weird, warm and unmistakably Scottish, Paxton’s debut is well worth welcoming in.