Islands

Directed by Jan-Ole Gerster, Islands follows an aimless tennis pro (Sam Riley’s Tom) as he crosses paths with a family of tourists (Stacy Martin’s Anne, Jack Farthing’s Dave, and Dylan Torrell’s Anton) to decidedly complicated effect. Filmmaker Gerster, armed with a script written alongside Blaz Kutin and Lawrie Doran, does a terrific job of initially luring the viewer into the admittedly slow-moving proceedings, as Islands kicks off with a fairly mesmerizing opening stretch that effectively details Tom’s less-than-savory existence – with the compelling vibe certainly heightened by Riley’s terrific (and often spellbinding) turn as the intriguing (and sympathetic) central character. (There is, for example, a scene in which Tom comes to a shocking realization that’s nothing short of electrifying due to Riley’s first-class work here.) And while the picture benefits from a mystery that grows more and more compelling, Islands‘ needlessly overlong runtime does, unfortunately, pave the way for a small handful of lulls within the far-from-streamlined midsection (ie the film could and should have topped out at around 90 minutes). By the time the thoroughly satisfying finale rolls around, however, Islands has confirmed its place as a mostly entertaining effort that boasts, at its core, an absolutely enthralling turn by its star.

*** out of ****