03/02/2026 - Louis Paxton's delightful, quirky Scottish dramedy is about two siblings living on a secluded island and the stranger who interrupts their isolation

Instead of a trigger warning, this review opens with a whimsy-focused warning: if you don’t like weird, eccentric films or the early works of Taika Waititi or Yorgos Lanthimos, scroll down immediately – there’s a considerable chance you’re not the target audience for The Incomer. But maybe you could be... This recent offering by Scottish helmer Louis Paxton, screened in the NEXT sidebar of Sundance, where it pocketed the NEXT Innovator Award (see the news), is exactly the blend of quirkiness and cuteness we’d expect from this festival and this particular section.

Isla (Gayle Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O'Rourke) are siblings who are probably in their early thirties – although they don’t own a calendar or any other modern inventions, so they couldn’t possibly verify their age – who’ve grown up alone on a remote Scottish island. Their daily routine is simple, but not at all mundane. To eat, they hunt for birds; to warm up, they light a fire in the fireplace; to entertain themselves, they play pranks on each other; and for heart-to-heart conversations, they talk to a sea creature which looks like a mangy Cheshire cat, and tell stories. But they have one serious mission in life: to defend their grass and rocks from “incomers” from the mainland. And as the rules of storytelling dictate, one such individual will comes their way and break their peace.

This person is the almost equally awkward Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson), who works for a state agency which reclaims land, although his true passion is writing fan fiction blending The Lord of the Rings with the likes of Predator. He doesn’t believe in eating meat either, and brings strange, random items to the island, such as a banana and a smartphone. A war of the worlds is inevitable, but so is the deep connection which unfolds between the incomer and the natives.

As the narrative progresses, Paxton – inspired by the true story of a brother and sister living in similar conditions, as well as by his own Orcadian heritage – avails himself of all the tricks and quirks at his disposal. He goes as far as putting his characters in scarecrow-like bird outfits, which is a pure delight for viewers. Some scenes, and the overall mood of The Incomer, are reminiscent of early works from the Greek New Wave, notably Dogtooth [+see also:
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interview: Yorgos Lanthimos
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interview: Athina Rachel Tsangari
film profile] by Athina Rachel Tsangari. But the Scottish filmmaker doesn’t copy them. He sometimes leans dangerously over the side of the ship with his ecocentrism, but he never goes totally overboard.

Nor does Paxton stay on the surface, instead diving deep and indirectly asking why we need the “civilised” world in the first place. Yes, it gives us avocados imported from Brazil and other luxuries but, in exchange, it often demands the sacrifice of uniqueness, bizarreness and anything not regarded normal or standard. Obviously, Paxton isn’t breaking new ground here, nor does he pretend to be, but he does saturate his odd tale with meaning and gravity. All in all, The Incomer is a strangely entertaining watch, and possibly worth swearing off avocados.

The Incomer was produced by the UK's Head Gear Films, Keeper Pictures and Metrol Technology. Charades is handling its world sales.