Sundance Film Festival 2026 – The Incomer is a lilting Scottish comedy from writer director Louis Paxton that tells the story of two reclusive siblings faced with generational trauma and the inevitable change that comes with healing. Isla (Gayle Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O’Rourke) have been living alone on a forgotten island miles off the coast of Scotland. They survived the death of their parents at a young age and for 30 years they managed to live by foraging and keeping the routine of everyday life. One day, the Scottish government decides to evacuate the island and evict its residents. Nebbish office worker Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson) is tasked with serving the notice. What follows is a charming if overlong story of facing the unknown and finding home wherever that may be.
Paxton immediately sets the tone with Isla, starting her day by smacking her brother on the forehead to wake him up then going out for a walk. She narrates that despite having never seen another person besides her brother, they are pretty normal. She then proceeds to squawk at the seagulls above their hovel. It seems that Isla and Sandy’s mother passed of a sickness and their father “gave himself to the sea.” That’s not before he instilled his children with a visceral fear of outsiders. He enforced his lessons with wild myths built around the surroundings putting the gulls at the top of the pyramid along with a creepy, yet talkative sea person that wades just off shore.
Back on the mainland, Daniel’s fiendish boss Roz (Michelle Gomez) forces him to leave the office and take a boat to the island to serve notice. He arrives and is immediately attacked, bound, and thrown into a breezy shed away from the main house. while Isla militantly asserts a strict hatred for Daniel and everything that he brings with him, her brother Sandy is pushy and curious. A day goes by and, after giving Sandy an electric toothbrush, Daniel is freed. Slowly the islanders warm to Daniel. For his part, Daniel warms to them too, yet his job is to get them off the island. It soon seems impossible though, as Isla begins to fall for him and Sandy attaches himself as a best friend. Eventually Daniel realizes that his job isn’t just to evict these people but to help them move on from the only world they know. Of course the villains eventually show up and force a departure led by the hilarious Callum (Emun Elliott) who sees himself as a black ops survivalist.
I did enjoy The Incomer very much but it’s runtime struggles to validate itself. This film could have played out in a tight 90 minutes and still had the same effect. Certain scenes only repeated things that were already established. The climactic sequence where the baddies show up was funny, but far too long. That’s not to mention a few plot points that didn’t add up. Yes, the island was out of signal, not allowing Daniel to immediately call for help. But why did it take days for his work to arrive and assist? There were just a lot of superfluous moments that added little to the overall.
Thankfully Paxton keeps the heart of the film beating with a certain beguiling charm. Isla has never had a reason to wear make up. Now she uses what she has on hand to make herself desirable to Daniel. Sandy begins having a mix of weird feelings as he desperately tries to connect with the first male that he has ever seen aside from his father. In a rather sweet moment Daniel is trying to convince Isla to let go of her fears of leaving the only home she has ever known. He essentially says something like, “Don’t be afraid of what might happen. Be excited about what could happen.”
The fear of the unknown, the fear of change, are only matched by the guilt of abandoning what has loyally sustained you. Paxton illustrates this tough lesson through a story filled with a warm silliness and whimsy. It’s longer than it needs to be at times, but The Incomer will leave you with a smile on your face.
