Brash, briny, and confidently Scottish, “The Incomer” is an original, remarkably consistent work that boldly establishes its offbeat tone — one that feels both deeply rooted in place and gleefully untethered from convention.

Directed by Louis Paxton, the Sundance NEXT Innovator Award-winning film follows two orphaned siblings, the fiercely independent Isla (Gayle Rankin) and her gentler brother Sandy (Grant O’Rourke), who are tasked with protecting their isle from “incomers,” no matter the cost. After nearly 30 years of complete isolation, this vague threat finally materializes in the form of unassuming civil servant Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson). Following his recent success in the 2025 TV series “The Paper,” Gleeson once again leans into his familiar buttoned-up, tightly wound archetype, forming a striking contrast with the scrappy, half-feral siblings who believe themselves to be one with the gulls.

Tasked with the unenviable job of serving eviction notices, Daniel is quickly exposed to the co-dependent pair’s colorful way of life and, in return, introduces revolutionary new concepts such as an electric toothbrush and — most importantly — a banana. All three leads deliver across the board, with multi-faceted performances from Rankin and O'Rourke working in perfect tandem with Gleeson to create comedy gold. Rankin brings an intense, untamed precision to Isla, while O’Rourke’s teddy bear presence serves as a disarming foil. Together, the trio masterfully navigate sorrow, humor, and all-around absurdity, grounding the film in a layered emotional landscape.

While the premise of an isolated community meeting a charismatic outsider eager to introduce them to modern society may sound cliché, “The Incomer” is anything but tried and true. Consistently finding fresh material around every corner, much of the film’s success — and its dynamic trailblazing in contemporary comedy — comes from Paxton’s relentless confidence as he never loses sight of the strange, tender humanity at the heart of his characters.

Perhaps the most campy, yet surprisingly nuanced addition to the film is the Fin Man, an evil selkie figure, played by John Hannah wearing black contacts and a wetsuit, who drives a darker subplot, forcing Isla to confront what has kept her trapped on the island her entire life — and how to break free from her fear.

Though the humor initially leans heavily on slapstick and a handful of cruder gags, “The Incomer” reveals a depth that one would not expect from a film that repeatedly depicts two grown adults pretending to be birds. Its emotional turns are as delightfully unpredictable as its comedy, embracing the inherent oddness of its characters while gently probing ideas of family and what it means to call a place home.

Scottish through and through, “The Incomer” uses this identity to create a fully cohesive experience from the film’s humor, costuming, and music. Paxton’s repeated use of extended wide shots allows the rugged beauty of the Scottish landscape to speak for itself, grounding the film’s absurdity in a striking sense of place. In keeping with a noticeable trend among Sundance 2026 selections — including “When a Witness Recants” and “I Want Your Sex” — the film occasionally turns to animation to cleverly underscore the gap between the fairytale version of Gull Island the siblings cling to and the far more complex reality they inhabit.

Flirting shamelessly with familiar tropes before tossing them straight into the sea, “The Incomer” creates a fully committed, gloriously unhinged oddity that never takes itself too seriously. Refreshingly true to itself to the very end, Paxton’s film proves that sometimes the safest place for a story is off the beaten path — preferably near a very loud colony of gulls.

—Staff Writer Sara R. Eyjolfsdottir can be reached at [email protected].