Islands

"Islands" is a fantastic and at the same time highly entertaining psychological thriller that breaks with classic structures. Tom (Sam Riley) is a bored tennis coach at a hotel in Fuerteventura, where he spends the years after his professional career-drinking in the clubs at night and having one-night stands. He meets the Maguire family, whose son Anton he trains. Soon, Tom develops a fascination for Anton's mother, Anne (Stacey Martin), and the two can be seen as the film's polar opposites.

When Anne's husband Dave disappears for a few days, Tom supports Anne in her search and lovingly cares for Anton. Anne seems liberated and relieved that Dave is no longer burdening her with his presence. When Dave reappears, Anne falls back into her old patterns in a mysterious and strongly dependent way.

For me, the film is a profound psychological drama in which two people meet whose loneliness is so strong that, as a viewer, you want to stand up and shout to the characters: Now, right now, you have to change your life-just take a small step toward each other.

While Tom is empathetic and kind, Anne appears rather cool and unpredictable, yet Tom falls in love with her. When the family flies away again, Tom begins to look at his life from a different perspective, realizing how his routines and rewards-along with the sea and the sun-have kept him trapped.

Sam Riley and Stacey Martin deliver outstanding performances. Riley always seems to have a little too much emotion, too much vodka, too much coke, which contrasts with his inner diligence and the responsibility he takes on. Martin plays her role reservedly, minimally, coolly. Only in one moment, when her husband still hasn't been found after four days, does she reveal her underlying emotions in a restaurant by the coast-downing her drinks, laughing loudly, and arguing with Tom, who tries to bring her back to her restraint because the police have Anne in their sights as the main suspect.

I really enjoyed the film; it was a big surprise because, for a European feature film, it has an astonishingly ambitious narrative scope, is cast with outstanding actors, and repeatedly steps away from the strictness of a tight script to focus on the spaces in between, the unspoken, and the very subtle tones.

The film aims to dive into the deep sea of emotions, offering a psychological portrait of a man adrift-without goals or direction-set against an otherwise idyllic landscape. As he finally gets confronted by his past, the story presents him with a chance to change his life.

*** However, in the end, the film fails to fully deliver. While the cinematography is solid and captures the beauty of its setting, it isn't enough to compensate for the script's inconsistencies and narrative leaps. The film treats its viewers as smart enough to understand what is implied by the script but most crucially, it struggles to forge a real connection between the audience and its main characters. Just when it feels like something significant is about to happen, the momentum deflates, creating a persistent sense of detachment.

*** The final result feels like a missed opportunity. While Islands had the potential to be a compelling character study, it ultimately leaves a bitter aftertaste, making one question whether the two-hour runtime was truly worthwhile.

A burgoise film about middle class people with burgoise problems. An unhappy marriage, a bored tennis instructor. Is this really what the world needs right now?

It's mostly boring and very, very repetitive. In the typical way of german movies, conflicts are only touched on, but do not break out. Nothing is really spoken out, nothing gets resolved. You could charitably call it "subtle", but I find it rather gutless, bloodless and boring. It may well be that in reality things go down so tame, and yes, in reality most of the time nothing really stark happens in a secure middle class life. But why should I pay admission and sacrifice two hours of my life? I at least want to learn SOMETHING new, have SOME kind of experience or revelation. The only thing I really took away from the movie were superficial things like beautiful landscape shots. And I could look at attractive actors for two hours. What I found most interesting were the interactions between the tennis instructor and the camel farm owner and the policeman. Something like real life shone through in these moments.

Of course, the frustrated tennis teacher who doesn't care about anything is likeable, especially being portrayed by this magificent actor Sam Reilly. After the first third of the movie, you have high hopes for some exciting events unfolding. The music also prepares us for a Hitchcock-style thriller, and the images as well foreshadow something tragic about to happen. But unfortunately, it doesn't happen. You get the feeling that the music was added by the distributor to sell the audience a thriller.

In the end, the movie more or less comes to nothing. Neither the marriage problems are solved, nor does the tennis teacher find meaning in life, nor is the stupid husband punished for his egoistic behaviour. The film leaves the viewer baffled. What was it all about?

I give five stars for beautiful cinematography and precise acting.

No pun intended - some movies hit you the right way, some do not. And this one ... I assume most will either be super excited about it, others will be super annoyed by it. The trailer probably made the movie look differently. And while I try to avoid watching trailers ... well I had no choice but to see it - tough to look away when you sit in a cinema.

Anyway, the being different than one thinks is a good, but maybe also a bad thing. There are many ingredients that should make this a movie that hits it right out of the park (which would be more of a baseball term, but wait for it) ... yet it seems to fail and hit the net (there you go with the tennis pun).

The which one is yours (and I may not be talking about the tennis racket here) and many other more subtle things (you said that) ... and many ... many indications that we as viewers can put together to get a picture of things way before the movie started ... those things are really well done ... but funnily enough not ...enough to be super convincing.

There is history - and there is her story ... and their story in this case too. The movie does not make a big fuss about the relationship (especially the past one) ... but you have to wonder if there was an elaborate plan after all? Well you can decide that - and in the meantime really hate the main character for doing almost everything one shouldn't be doing - even things he has been explicitly told not to do (watch out what you tell them - there is a witness) ... so while there is mystery ... the bigger mystery remains: where is this supposed to be going? Or him? Or them of course ... not sure if ... a character finally put two and two together and acted upon it ... I just know that it did not feel as satisfying as it should ... or I thought it should ...

This is not the movie you will watch with your friends and you are all having a fun evening. It's no popcorn movie and you won't see it ever again.

The thing is, it's kind of like with white lotus. In a cinema where every movie wants to be the loudest, prettiest and deepest; Islands is the shy girl in the corner and will definitely test your patience and attention span.

It's not good, it's not brilliant, it's not THE biggest movie of the year - it's the movie you casually see on a Wednesday evening because you had nothing better to do. It is surprising how something so "boring" can make you feel so many things. Go watch it, but don't watch it now and never trust the dumb cut trailer!'

Enjoy.