Sundance 2026 Review: The Incomer

On a remote Scottish isle, siblings Isla and Sandy hunt birds and talk to mythical beings while fighting off outsiders. Their lives change when Daniel, an awkward official, arrives to relocate them.

For 30 years, siblings Isla and Sandy have lived alone on an island and view people from the mainland, aka Incomer,s as a threat that needs to be dealt with by any means necessary.  Trouble arises when Incomer by the name of Daniel arrives with eviction orders which leads to him being held captive, and his fate will be determined by whether Sandy and Isla’s curiosity or hatred prevails.

Not sure what to think exactly, outside of this being a poor parody of The Wicker Man with the pagan beliefs, geographical isolation and hatred for outsiders mixed with oddball characters.  What shows more storytelling ingenuity are the animated sequences which provide that exposition in a compelling style that makes it look like ink drawings have come to life.  The cinematography is restrained which does not call attention to itself as the focus is on the island and the performance of the cast.  The minimal cast means that more time can be spent with them, but the question remains, ‘Do you really want to?’ The societal critique does not restrain itself to those shut away from the modern world.  Life on the mainland can be isolating even when surrounded by other people. Sometimes the only refuge one can find is within one’s own imagination.

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival takes place January 22 to Feb. 1  2026, in person and online, and for more information visit sundance.org.

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.