Fran recommends Islands

With Islands, Jan-Ole Gerster’s third feature, he moves away from the lamentable immaturity of a droll good-for-nothing (A Coffee in Berlin), away from the emotional turmoil of a begrudging mother (Lara), away from the metropolitan microcosm that so endearingly and reassuringly looms over his previous films (Berlin). And yet, he puzzles certain elements back together and carts his not any less bitter protagonists to a run-of-the-mill holiday resort in Fuerteventura.

Washed-up tennis pro Tom (Sam Riley) spends his days giving lacklustre lessons and his nights snorting coke with insouciant hotel guests. His familiar groove comes to a grinding halt when Anne (Stacy Martin) and Dave (Jack Farthing) arrive with their seven-year-old son. With Tom being roped into playing tour guide and the bickering couple’s increasingly sardonic behaviour, the seemingly paradisal façade crumbles faster than you can say ‘camel ride experience’.

Bizarre and acerbic in places, Islands is a gripping mystery noir that sits somewhere between Antonioni’s L’Avventura and Ozon’s Swimming Pool, with strong performances throughout the two hours of morally questionable decision-making.

Islands comes after a six-year hiatus and is Gerster’s English-language debut – two very good reasons to have made the conscious effort to catch it at Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, where it premiered. Expecting a star-less screening, the one I attended saw the director hopping on stage before the film because he ‘lives around the corner and just wanted to say hi’, demystifying the man behind the mystery.

Islands is showing at HPPH from Fri 19 Sep, and you will be able to book tickets very soon here.

As well as being a Venue Coordinator at HPPH, Fran also runs Milk Teeth Productions and has an exciting night of short films coming up on Thu 25 Sep at the Cardigan Arms as part of Scalarama 2025. Book tickets to North by Northeast here.