Islands

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.

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.

Where in our present day can one find characters who could have stepped out of a 1940s film noir? Where does a washed-up man, trapped by his disillusionment, suddenly encounter a mysterious femme fatale? Of course, in one of the hotbeds of modern mass tourism!

In his first English-language (and also Spanish-language) film, German director Jan Ole GERSTER (OH BOY and LARA) casts British actor Sam RILEY as a tennis coach on the holiday island of Fuerteventura. Tom must have once been a big name in tennis, but now he gives petty lessons to tourists from a luxury hotel. One day, the capricious Anne (great Stacy MARTIN, known from NYMPHOMANIAC) asks him to give her young son lessons. The already somewhat neglected Tom is increasingly drawn into the life of the mysterious beauty and soon meets her husband Dave (Jack FARTHING, Prince Charles from SPENCER). Then something monstrous happens: After a night of partying with Tom, Dave goes missing. Murder? Accident? What happened? Things escalate and change direction more than once...

What an outstandingly crafted film! Beautiful images, suspense-building music (by European Film Award winner Dascha DAUENHAUER, who won the award in 2020 for BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ), and a story you wouldn't expect! The risk that GERSTER took with what he calls his VACATION NOIR was truly worth it. At some point in the film, there is a spectacularly filmed rescue operation on the open sea that takes your breath away. This moment alone is a highlight of the German cinematic year.

The Spanish supporting actors, who play native Canarians, are also very convincing: Bruna Cusi as hotel receptionist Maria and Pep Ambrós as police officer Jorge are just some of the highlights. Beautiful images (cinematography: Juan Sarmiento G.) of the island and the towns of Corralejo and Pájara blur the boundaries between dreamlike paradise and an apocalyptic desert landscape.

Despite its huge success at the 2025 German Film Awards, with nominations for lead actor Sam Riley (married to Bambi award winner Alexandra Maria Lara), producers Jonas Katzenstein and Maximilian Leo, and the award for Dascha Dauenhauer, the film only attracted around 50,000 admissions to German cinemas in the first three months since its theatrical release. This is such a shame and vastly undeserved. Many more viewers should see this remarkable film, so atypical of German cinema.

Anyone who has ever lived and worked on a holiday island will appreciate this extraordinary holiday shocker with its very quiet tones even more.

Currently, the film holds a rating of 6.7 which is quite fair. It is a solid drama which unfortunately is marketed as some kind of psychological crime thriller which clearly it is not. It is more a drama about your purpose in life and the thriller elements used are a means to cause disruption of the protagonist's every day life. The cinematography looks great, the actors are all delivering very convincingly. I read a review where someone regards even the supporting cast such as the local police man as very memorable - and I do agree.

Coming back to the beginning: The marketing of the movie feels misleading and it is unfortunate because the setting and idea of the plot is quite interesting and unique. A good drama for a calm evening that keeps you thinking about your life afterwards.

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.