My expectations for Islander were pretty low, but wow did it surprise me. Very rarely do you see a film like this – a gritty, minimalistic story set in a strong cultural environment – that has anything like the pacing, rhythm and warmth that this film has. Usually what happens in movies like this is that the story gets lost in the accents, the sets and the technical details of their lives, which are used to cover a dull storyline, bad dialog and poorly developed characters. Not here! The story is really compelling and interesting in a totally low-key kind of way. The dialog is really strong, and moves from minimalistic exchanges to deeper conversations with great skill. Plus it has a really nice score, and makes good use of it.

All of the characters are interesting, even the lesser ones. Thomas Hildreth and Philip Baker Hall are simply terrific in their roles!

I don’t know if I’ve ever compared a film to that masterpiece from the 1990’s Ruby In Paradise, but the pacing and atmosphere of this film reminded me of that old classic from the 1990s film Renaissance. I am not sure yet if it will prove to have anything like the repeat watchability of a truly great film – it might – but it is certainly a must-see film.