With well-placed animated moments, combined with the score and performances, The Incomer shines with wonder and comedy about acceptance and finding one’s community.
The Incomer, playing at Sundance Film Festival, is a delightfully quirky film with dark, humorous moments alongside heartfelt moments. Siblings, living on a remote Scottish Isle called Auk Isle, must contend with the arrival of a mainlander informing them they must leave. Suspicious, they threaten him, but a connection soon forms. With well-placed animated moments, combined with the score and performances, The Incomer shines with wonder and comedy about acceptance and finding one’s community.
Louis Paxton makes his feature directorial debut with this gem. Daniel, played by Domhnall Gleeson (About Time, Ex Machina), is uncomfortable but determined to do his job of evicting people from the islands where they live. It’s a job he usually performs over the phone. Michelle Gomez (Zootopia 2, Doom Patrol) plays his boss, Roz, who forces him to go to Auk Isle to evict a pair of siblings. Gayle Rankin (Men, The Greatest Showman) plays Isla, the more distrustful, storytelling older sister who looks after her brother, Sandy, played by Grant O’Rourke (Grow, Shetland), who is more curious and open. From there, it’s oddball, at times dark humor with deadpan deliveries and memorable storytelling.
The Incomer Is Hilarious
From the start, when Isla charges outside to caw loudly at the sky, it’s clear the story is on a unique bend from regular fare. In fact, it’s similar to Addams Family Values. After all, Fester howls at the moon. Even the straight-faced deliveries match. It’s not just comedy from their interactions as the siblings threaten Daniel. Comedy lurks in the explanations as well, as Daniel tries to explain the internet, veganism, and wifi. The Incomer is a special comedy because of its unique situation.
Has No Drag Thanks to Its Cast
It’s challenging to keep the audience’s attention with a small cast, but this movie achieves it. Through the cast’s performances, there is never a dull moment. Even when there is silence, the awkwardness ensures viewers remain hooked. Truthfully, any movie that shows a woman knocking a man out with a rock, then head-butting that same man later on, automatically has my approval. The trio works spectacularly together.
Domnhall portrays someone struggling to fit in on the mainland. He does not connect with his coworkers. Still, his awkwardness works with the siblings. After all, they have no clue about so much, including technology. They lived on the isle for thirty years and never visited the mainland. Gayle taps into something feral, doubtful, but pained as Isla. Still, her comedic moments are equally entertaining. Grant O’Rourke, as her brother, Sandy, is almost the antithesis of Isla. He often conveys so much in his expression that words are superfluous. They are both dangerous, but lonely, just like Domnhall’s character.
Community in the Most Unusual Places
There is a message here of letting your weirdness be your strength. Daniel’s passion for stories and wizardry matches the fantasies Isla and Sandy believe in. Sometimes you have to travel somewhere unknown. But community is worth it. Through Daniel’s arrival, both sides gain a missing piece they lacked in The Incomer. Daniel gains self-acceptance for who he is, but also develops confidence. Isla gains the ability to see the truth of their past and the possibility for something more without losing her penchant for animated storytelling. Sandy learns who he is and loves, and how to show it in a healthier way.
The Incomer is that dry humor that lands hard and keeps your shoulders shaking. Without the core cast’s chemistry, this movie would not work as well. The score adds a comedic layer as they traipse the isle, arguing and bonding. The sparse use of animation has an impact because it shows us the mind of the storyteller. The Incomer is stories within stories filled with wonder, laughter, and hope for connection.
