In “The Incomer,” a film written and directed by Louis Paxton, Domhnall Gleeson plays Daniel, a land coordinator for the Northeastern Scottish Council. His job is to order the middle-aged siblings Isla (Gayle Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O’Rourke) off the remote island where they’ve lived since their parents died decades earlier.
In a narration at the movie’s opening, Isla notes that such circumstances might have rendered her and Sandy “odd.” “They weren’t odd,” she insists. “They were very normal.” And then Isla caws into the camera, impersonating a particularly feral gull. Such is the whimsy this picture deals in, along with black-and-white animations illustrating the man-and-gull mythology the siblings have constructed.
As you might expect, these two pose a challenge for Gleeson’s initially chipper character, who believes he can achieve his goal by telling them to pack their things. They respond by throwing a rock at his head. The siblings also defend themselves with weapons like a stone-headed ax and a wooden club.
Trying to come to an understanding, Daniel spellbinds them by recounting the plot of “The Lord of the Rings”; the characters are, as you might expect, very pop-culture deprived.
After a while, Daniel’s longer-than-expected absence is noted back at the office, and a more aggressive agent of the Land Council (Emun Elliott) is put on the case. By which time Daniel’s loyalties begin to shift in ways that may prove imprudent.
Gleeson, Rankin and O’Rourke all have screen presence to burn. And as it goes with more than a few movies set in Scotland, the scenery is gorgeous even when other elements feel strained.
The Incomer Rated R for violence, language, brief graphic nudity. Running time: 1 hour 42 minutes. In theaters.
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