Leon Baxter’s feature debut, The Incomer, is an absurdist modern folk tale set on a remote island off the coast of Scotland. Once home to a bustling village, the population has dwindled to its last two inhabitants: Isla (Gale Rankin) and her brother Sandy (Grant O’Rourke). Orphaned as children, the siblings have remained isolated for three decades, knowing the outside world only through the cautionary web of tales woven by their father. They have survived in a world of mer-creatures and mythical gulls—until a down-on-his-luck, wizard-obsessed government worker (Domhnall Gleeson) arrives to serve an eviction notice. What follows is a delightful, mercurial piece of modern mythology ten years in the making.
The Incomer is far from a standard comedy. The performances are nuanced, avoiding what Baxter calls “heightened” or “knowing” deliveries. Isla and Sandy’s snappy verbal jousting is absurd in content but delivered with such earnest emotion that you almost accept it as normal. This sincerity underpins each scene with a sinister, foreboding undertone; when the siblings threaten violence, you’re never quite sure whether to laugh or take cover. This masterful balance of suspense and comedy creates a perfect environment for the characters to navigate the trials and trauma of their past.
With its beautiful backdrop of the windswept Caithness coast and a broody, unnerving soundtrack by Tom Kingston, The Incomer is a sensory delight. It is a prime example of what happens when deft storytelling meets a perfect ensemble. This near-flawless modern fable filters feelings of loss and betrayal through a whimsical lens, allowing audiences to come face to face with heavy issues without it being too emotionally overwhelming. It is a genre-defying fairytale that perfectly melds themes of love and loss with those of betrayal and beginnings. It’s not only a highlight of this year’s festival—it’s one of the best films of the year.
