Louis Paxton's The Incomer, which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and opens in theaters on September 25, delivers a very funny extended opening sequence — and never reaches those heights again.

Set on a lonely, lovely Scottish isle, the film follows siblings Isla (Gayle Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O'Rourke), who live simple, quiet lives. They hunt and gather by the sea and among the birds. They mourn their parents, most recently their father, and they watch out for trespassers on their land — Incomers, they call them.

Cue the meek government official, Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson), charged with getting the duo off the island and back to the mainland. It is easier said than done. Isla and Sandy proceed to playfully torture Daniel as he fails in his overtures to convince them to leave. Paxton builds toward a proto-Bill Forsyth mixture of tones in the first act, and for a while he gets close. Unfortunately, it all becomes repetitive. Local Hero this is not.

Daniel's more nefarious municipal colleagues soon make their way to the island, assuming he has failed. Emun Elliott plays a suspended worker who takes the job like he is in the 2003 action picture S.W.A.T., and it is very funny in spots. At a certain point, however, it becomes the same joke told once too often. The ultimate big bad bureaucrat, played by Michelle Gomez with pomp and circumstance, is likewise saddled with what seems the same line of dialogue many times in a row.

This is the film's central problem. Its premise is solid and its locations spectacular, with beautiful cinematography by Pat Golan, and its actors are very talented. But the humor goes stale, and the emotional anchor never feels strong enough.

Gleeson is a winning lead, and Rankin, as his foil-turned-love-interest, completes an intriguing pair — yet something is missing in their scenes. The film features sparse, striking animation and a direct connection to Scottish folklore that adds a layer of mythos and whimsy, but it feels half-applied. A fairly dark third act plays as a bit much and not quite earned.

Still, Paxton shows real directorial instincts. He has a well-developed sense of frame and setting, building genuine tension from focal lengths and smart editing. A scene set on the edge of a cliff, with danger and ecstasy close at hand, is particularly effective. He is also right to allow his good actors to do good work. The problem, our reviewer notes, is Paxton the screenwriter.

The craft credits hold up their end. Costume designer Sarah Blenkinsop builds incredible bird-man outfits that Isla and Sandy don as ritual, while production designers Arthur de Borman and Kezia Eales squeeze their location for everything it is worth. The siblings' cottage, in particular, is a lived-in, wonderful piece of work.

There is a lot in The Incomer to be admired. The pity is that it lasts a bit too long and makes the same joke too many times. Paxton's next project will show whether his evident eye behind the camera can find a script to match it.