A whimsical, offbeat island comedy-drama with a strong sense of place, eccentric humor, and a surprisingly tender emotional core. The premise sounds like a folk tale, but the reviews point to real depth around grief, isolation, and the uneasy arrival of outsiders.
The Incomer
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Comedy · Drama
Fri · 1h 42m
Director: Louis Paxton
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O'Rourke
Overview
On an Orkney isle, siblings Isla and Sandy survive by hunting seabirds, retelling the stories of their ancestors, and defending the isle from dreaded "Incomers". Their world is upended with the arrival of an awkward council worker who has come to uproot them from their homeland.
Director
Louis Paxton
Cast
Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O'Rourke
Curator Review
Verdict
A whimsical, offbeat island comedy-drama with a strong sense of place, eccentric humor, and a surprisingly tender emotional core. The premise sounds like a folk tale, but the reviews point to real depth around grief, isolation, and the uneasy arrival of outsiders.
Best for
Viewers who like dry, eccentric British and Scottish humor
Fans of rural or island-set stories with folklore texture
People who enjoy comedy-drama that turns reflective and melancholy
Audiences open to absurdist details alongside emotional stakes
Skip if
You want a straightforward plot with no tonal detours
You dislike deadpan, highly regional humor
You prefer realism over mythic or fable-like storytelling
You are looking for a purely broad comedy
Overview
The Incomer sounds like the kind of film that wins people over by being stranger, warmer, and sadder than its premise suggests. An island survival story about siblings guarding their tiny world from “incomers” could easily become a simple satire, but the response suggests something more playful and more human: a comedy of manners, a folk tale, and a quiet study of people trapped by the stories they tell themselves.
Worth noting
The humor seems delightfully specific and very British in the best way, with the kind of absurd details that become instantly memorable. But the film’s real pull is likely its emotional undercurrent: grief, isolation, and the fear that change will erase the only life you know. That tension gives the comedy shape and keeps the whimsy from floating away.
Bottom line
If you like films that balance eccentricity with melancholy, this looks like a strong watch. It should especially appeal to viewers who enjoy coastal oddballs, outsider encounters, and stories where a community’s quirks are both funny and deeply protective.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Charlie 🍿 (4★) · 900 likes
“Not only was he a gull, but he was a bear.” Might be the best use of voiceover ever
𓆩♡𓆪 a l i 𓆩♡𓆪 (3.5★) · 631 likes
they say if you see a dildo at the start of a movie, it will be important by the end
James Chapman (4★) · 455 likes
Who run the world, gulls
Lucy (4★) · 413 likes
this was so fun i wish scottish people were real
estehler (5★) · 385 likes
we all have eczema, in a way, don’t we?
Themes
isolation, outsiders and belonging, grief, family bonds, regional identity, tradition versus change, community defensiveness, folklore and storytelling
Topics
Scottish island, offbeat comedy, dramedy, folk tale, fish-out-of-water, grief, isolation, regional humor, outsider conflict, quirky