Domhnall Gleeson stars as Daniel, an apathetic, local government civil servant tasked with evicting a brother and sister allegedly squatting on a remote Scottish island. The siblings Isla and Sandy lost their parents nearly thirty years ago, and are the only inhabitants on the island, barring a flock of seagulls. The gulls have become staples of the siblings' diet and folklore.
Daniel's arrival sparks existential and romantic crises for both brother and sister, who were left with standing orders from their deceased father to fight off any newcomers to the island. Daniel is surprised and irritated by this showing of resistance but soon starts to question whether his existence on the mainland is better than that of the solitary siblings. A mutual affinity for storytelling hilariously begins to forge new connections between the three.
"The Incomer" is the kind of film that delights a festival crowd but is unlikely to have traction outside Park City temporary theaters. Domhnall Gleeson's singular performance and a strong theme of human connection grounded in quirky humor sustain the film past the boredom meter, but the film isn't funny enough to escape the obvious shadow of last year's festival hit "The Ballad of Wallis Island," nor dark enough to eclipse Domhnall's dad's tour de force performance in "The Banshees of Inisherin."
However, [snow] hats off to the cast for going "all in" with each peculiar role, especially Gayle Rankin and Grant O’Rourke as Isla and Sandy, and Emun Elliott as Daniel's more ambitious co-worker who undertakes his eviction power with more enthusiasm than a rogue ICE agent.
On KPCW's sun rating system, "The Incomer" receives two suns out of five.
