The Incomer (dir. Louis Paxton)

by Jack Martin | Sep 6, 2026

Certificate: 12A

Running Time: 102 mins

UK Distributor: Universal Pictures

UK Release Date: 4 September 2026

WHO’S IN THE INCOMER?

Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O’Rourke, Emun Elliott, Michelle Gomez, John Hannah

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Louis Paxton (director, writer), Emily Gotto and Shirley O’Connor (producers), Tom Kingston (composer), Patrick Golan (cinematographer), Brian Philip Davis (editor)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

A land recovery coordinator (Gleeson) is sent to an island inhabited by a pair of feral siblings…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON THE INCOMER?

There’s a delightful innocence to writer-director Louis Paxton’s The Incomer. From its eccentric sense of humour to the incorporation of folk legends old and new, it is a film that inspires a particular kind of playfulness that’s increasingly hard to come by in cinema, especially smaller-scale productions like this where the filmmaker and his cast and crew undoubtedly had to make do with what little resources they had.

But here, the playfulness also ties into some of the deeper and somewhat darker themes underneath the surface, which gives The Incomer a thicker layer of skin as it revels in its own childish absurdity. The end result isn’t always able to maintain its balance, but there’s plenty to enjoy as it wins you over with its charming embrace of oddness.

The film is primarily set on a remote island just off the Scottish mainland, where adult siblings Isla (Gayle Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O’Rourke) live alone in their family home. The thing is, they’ve been there for thirty years, and have barely advanced beyond their childhood mindset due to raising themselves after the death of their parents. They are quite literally grown children, prone to fights and taunts and other juvenile qualities, all while preserving through imaginative stories their island’s folk legends involving the local seagulls and a “Finman” who entices people into a watery grave.

This is where the “Incomer” of the title comes in: he is Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson), a socially-awkward mainland bureaucrat who’s been tasked by his domineering boss Roz (Michelle Gomez) to travel to the island and evict the siblings, so that their land can be reclaimed by the local council. However, he fails to take into account that the supposed squatters are fiercely protective of their land, especially against outsiders like Daniel. So, as you do, they promptly abduct him and integrate him into their strange way of life, which nudges all of them toward an unexpected series of personal developments.

Paxton is quick to establish the off-kilter tone for most of the rest of the film, with scenes and shots early on playing like if Taika Waititi made Step Brothers while also adding little hints of Song of the Sea and even The Wicker Man. It is often very funny, as the filmmaker gets a lot of laughs from the siblings’ wide-eyed curiosity about everyday mainland essentials like toothpaste and the internet, as well as from other supporting characters like a psychotic councilman who would rather fill at least three one-litre bottles with his own urine than hydrate himself the regular way. But it is also full of heart, especially as we see how these central characters – one from a static life on the mainland where the most interesting thing about him is his interest in wizards and fantastical creatures, two deeply ingrained within their own childish imagination and their closed-off yet undeniably curious culture – both repel and compliment one another with their varying degrees of eccentricity.

It’s a film that actively encourages one to embrace their inner weirdo, and to not give a damn about what the rest of the world thinks about one’s individuality, which is in and of itself rather heartwarming. Daniel certainly learns this through the siblings as he takes more and more risks that he never would have taken back home, while the siblings manage to realise through Daniel how unsustainable their way of life may be, as well as the importance of acting their age whilst discovering some of the more complex adult emotions. All three of them end up finding their calling through each other, like Daniel who thrives on recounting the story of Lord of the Rings (albeit with a council office twist) to the unaware siblings, or Sandy and his own conflicting feelings towards the Incomer that blossoms from childlike curiosity to genuine attraction, and especially Isla who begins experiencing her own awakening like a young teen falling for their first crush while also contemplating whether she actually wants the life she currently leads. In the latter role, Rankin is the clear standout with a wide breadth of emotions that make her funny and endearing all at once, while O’Rourke proves to be a master at adopting a childish mindset opposite the ever-reliable Gleeson.

At times, though, the film can seem a little unsure as to which direction it ultimately wants to take. While the film is consistently comedic in nature, there are a couple of odd scenes where the tone abruptly becomes much darker, like you’ve suddenly gone from watching The Ballad of Wallis Island to Shallow Grave within seconds and without a formidable bridge linking the two. In a sense, it seems designed to throw the viewer off in terms of what kind of place these characters will ultimately end up in by the end, but they nonetheless remain far removed from the overall vibes that Paxton clearly wants to give. That’s ultimately why it isn’t exactly on the same level as The Ballad of Wallis Island, which stuck a lot more consistently with its own soothing tone and featured perhaps a bit more nuance in its own oddball sense of humour.

But even still, that doesn’t make The Incomer at all a bad movie. It still has plenty of homegrown charm as well as a collection of very funny moments that are well-executed to mostly land without incident, and above all its message of embracing one’s weirdness should make it an easy cult favourite among those who don’t quite feel as though they belong within the normal parameters of society.

SO, TO SUM UP…

The Incomer is a charming and often very funny ode to eccentricity that isn’t always tonally consistent, but still manages to win you over with its oddball heart and finely tuned comedic performances.