This may be one of the hardest eviction notices to deliver.

The Incomer is a small, strange comedy that has already done well at festivals and in UK cinemas. It opens in the United States on September 25, 2026, with a limited theatrical release from Sumerian Pictures, which bought the North American rights in February after the film’s Sundance premiere.

The film is set on a remote Scottish island. Siblings Isla and Sandy, played by Gayle Rankin and Grant O’Rourke, have lived there alone for about three decades. They hunt seabirds and keep outsiders away. Their routine falls apart when Daniel, an awkward council worker played by Domhnall Gleeson, arrives with orders to move them to the mainland.

What starts as a standoff between a stubborn pair and a nervous official becomes a funny and surprisingly tender story about isolation, family and identity. Island folklore is part of the story too, especially the Finman, a sea creature from Orkney legend played by John Hannah. Michelle Gomez and Emun Elliott round out the cast.

The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in January and won the NEXT Innovator Award, which the festival gives to bold, original work. It then opened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in August and reached cinemas in the UK and Ireland on September 4.

The film was shot over 28 days in summer 2025, with Caithness in the far north of mainland Scotland standing in for the Orkney-inspired setting. Shirley O’Connor and Emily Gotto of Pilea Pictures produced it, with backing from the BFI and Screen Scotland. Trevor Noah and Moby are among the executive producers.

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The Incomer is Louis Paxton’s first feature, and it comes from his own background. His mother’s family is from Orkney, and he spent childhood summers there exploring Neolithic dig sites and old shipwrecks. He directed Neville Is Dead (2020), which was nominated for a BAFTA. His television work includes Ladybaby and Calamity James.

The Incomer is in select theaters on Friday, September 25, 2026.

Watch the exclusive interview with director-writer Louis Paxton below. Let us know what you think.

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Source: LRM Online Exclusive, Sumerian Pictures