Whimsy. Suspension of disbelief essential. Embrace the weirdness. It's so easy to pick holes in the reality of writer/director Louis Paxton's film, but where's the fun in that? Better to sit back and accept that you have entered the world of fairy tales and folk tales, enjoy the eldritch feel of this off-kilter world. There's a malicious selkie bobbing in the water, a sprinkling of cartoon violence, and a smidgen of Hitchcockian terror. And while there is some effort to provide a meaningful ending - humans are social creatures and we should accept people as they are - it's best not to think too much.
Siblings Isla (Gayle Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O'Rourke) have been living in isolation on Auk Island since they were children, half convinced they are descended from seagulls. Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson), a socially inept council worker, is sent over to serve them an eviction notice, as the island is regarded as a wildlife sanctuary. Which goes against the residents belief that they must repel all Incomers...
Daniel is met with resistance, but gradually wins the pair over, only to have his work undermined when a more feral colleague, Calum (Emun Elliot), batters his way into the setting. Relationships are tested, and reinforcements combatted, as tensions rise and solutions sought.
Good performance all round, in roles which demand some over-the-top elements. Michelle Gomez, as Daniel's over-ambitious hardnosed boss, makes for an easily disliked 'baddie' figure, and there are plenty of laugh out loud lines spread through the script. O'Rourke's deadpan delivery is a delight. Plus there's the dulcet tones of one John Hannah...
The Incomer joins a line of whimsical Scottish films that twist the world into something slightly magical, and provide memorable characters and imaginative cinematic moments (like Daniel 'flying'). Warm hearted and quirky make a good combination.
