From Red Carpet Glamour to Remote Island Grit: Gayle Rankin's Striking Role Transformation
Scottish actress Gayle Rankin, typically photographed in sophisticated designer attire at high-profile promotional events, undergoes a remarkable visual transformation in her latest cinematic venture. The House of the Dragon star appears dramatically removed from her usual polished presentation in scenes from the unconventional new comedy The Incomer, filmed against the rugged backdrop of the Scottish Highlands.
A Shocking Culinary Moment at Sundance
During the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Utah, audiences were treated to a particularly memorable scene that highlights the film's eccentric humour. In the shared footage, Rankin's character is depicted enthusiastically consuming a cooked seagull, while her co-star Domhnall Gleeson – portraying a committed vegan – watches with palpable horror. This awkward dining moment encapsulates the cultural clash at the heart of the narrative.
The Premise of The Incomer
The film is set on a fictional, isolated island off Scotland's northeast coast, focusing on orphaned siblings who have matured in complete seclusion, devoid of mainland conveniences. Rankin, renowned for her roles in The Greatest Showman and alongside Outlander's Grant O'Rourke, embodies one of these eccentric siblings. O'Rourke plays her brother, while Gleeson assumes the role of a socially awkward council worker dispatched to relocate the pair to the mainland.
The now-infamous scene unfolds around a dimly lit table with the roasted seabird as its centrepiece. Gleeson's character, Daniel, wears an expression of pure dread. When O'Rourke's character inquires, 'Do you not like the gull?', Daniel's simple reply – 'I'm vegan' – sparks a comical misunderstanding. The siblings proceed to confuse his ethical dietary stance with a disbelief in the bird's very existence.
Scottish Talent Takes Centre Stage
The Incomer is the creative work of Edinburgh-based writer and director Louis Paxton. The cast boasts an impressive lineup of Scottish acting talent, including Michelle Gomez, John Hannah, and Emun Elliott. This project forms part of a significant showcase for Scottish cinema at Sundance this year, with a record-breaking seven films produced or co-produced in Scotland featured at the festival.
A Breakout Year for Scottish Film
Isabel Davis, executive director of Screen Scotland, has heralded this as 'an unprecedented year' for the nation's film industry on the global stage. In comments to BBC Scotland, she emphasised the importance of the Sundance platform, noting its influence in spotlighting emerging cinematic work. 'We've had good years before, with two or three titles, but this is definitely a breakout year,' Davis stated, highlighting the festival's role in attracting international industry attention.
Plot Insights from the British Film Institute
According to the British Film Institute's synopsis, the film follows siblings Isla (Rankin) and Sandy (O'Rourke), whose 'totally normal' life involves hunting seabirds, conversing with mythical beings, and protecting their home from outsiders. The arrival of Daniel (Gleeson) disrupts their insular world, forcing all three characters to grapple with their respective forms of isolation. The narrative explores the exchange of strange new discoveries from the mainland with the siblings' unique 'ways of the gull'.
This project marks a distinctive departure for Rankin and a celebratory moment for Scottish filmmaking, blending dark comedy with themes of isolation, tradition, and cultural collision against Scotland's dramatic landscapes.
