---
title: "Islands"
year: 2025
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/islands"
fi1m_id: "islands"
imdb_id: "tt27796126"
tmdb_id: 1128547
wikidata_id: "Q125621795"
fi1m_score: 68
critics_score: 74
critics_reviews: 12
published: "2026-10-12T20:11:10.857725+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-12T20:11:11.489247+00:00"
region: "DK"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Islands (2025)

Directed by Jan Ole Gerster · 2h 03m · Thriller, Drama, Crime

## Identity

Islands

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/islands
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** islands
- **IMDb ID:** tt27796126
- **TMDB ID:** 1128547
- **Wikidata ID:** Q125621795
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27796126/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1128547, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q125621795

**Fi1m score: 68** · Critics 74 from 12 reviews

*In a sentence:* A sunburnt tennis coach, a missing husband and a volcanic island, and nobody on it in any hurry to find out what happened

> Sam Riley is quietly excellent as a tennis coach gone to seed on Fuerteventura, and the island is shot to look like the last place on earth. The mystery built around him never earns its length. Good, for a patient evening.

## Synopsis

Fuerteventura, a resort hotel on bare volcanic ground a short walk from the beach. Tom (Sam Riley) coaches tennis there by day, drinks at the hotel bar by night and sleeps wherever the evening leaves him. He hits balls back to holidaymakers all morning and changes the subject when anyone asks how he came to be here. A British family checks in: Anne (Stacy Martin), her husband Dave (Jack Farthing) and their small son Anton (Dylan Torrell), who has been booked in for lessons. Tom is good with the boy. He is less sure how to be with Anne, who looks at him as though they have met before, or with Dave, who is loud, friendly and keen to go drinking. Then Dave does not come back from a night out, and the police start asking where everyone was.

## Review

Tom (Sam Riley) teaches tennis at a resort hotel on Fuerteventura. He hits balls back to holidaymakers in the morning, drinks in the hotel bar at night and wakes up on sofas that are not always his own. A British family checks in: Anne (Stacy Martin), her husband Dave (Jack Farthing) and their small son Anton (Dylan Torrell), who needs lessons. Then Dave goes missing, and Tom finds himself closer to the family than a tennis coach ought to be. It is a decent, handsome, slow film with a fine central performance and a plot that does not repay the time it asks for.

Riley is the reason to see it. He plays Tom as a man who has been drunk for so long that being sober feels like the hangover, with a tan that looks like a medical condition and a smile he puts on for the guests the way he puts on the hotel polo shirt. He does the small things well: the flinch when a guest asks how he ended up here, the patience he shows a child on the court while plainly thinking about something else. The film is in his company for nearly all of its 123 minutes and he carries it without once asking to be liked.

Juan Sarmiento G. shoots the island wide and flat. The hotels sit on the black ground like boxes left on a beach, the sky is white more often than blue, and the dunes go on past the edge of the frame. Cora Pratz’s production design makes the resort a place of lanyards, laminated menus and plastic sun loungers, the kind of hotel you have stayed in and would not book again. Dascha Dauenhauer’s score is a low electronic pulse with the odd dry drum, and it does most of the work of suggesting something is wrong before anything is. The look and the sound never let the film down.

Martin plays Anne as a woman keeping a great many thoughts to herself, which is right for the part and occasionally hard to watch; there are scenes where we wanted her to want something out loud. Farthing’s Dave is a loud, friendly man who drinks too much and stands too close, and Farthing makes him likeable enough that his absence matters. Torrell, as the boy, is good on the court and better off it. The film’s quiet question about whether Tom and Anne have met before, and what that might make Anton, is handled with more tact than most films would manage.

The trouble is pace. Matthew Newman and Antje Zynga are both credited as editors, and the middle hour still has Tom driving, drinking, waiting and being questioned by Bruna Cusí’s María, who asks the right questions and gets none of the answers, while the matter of Dave’s disappearance moves about an inch. We were bored somewhere around the second night in the bar, and then annoyed with ourselves, because the film is plainly asking us to feel Tom’s boredom with him, and we did, and it still did not make the scenes any shorter. When the answers come they come quietly, and we will say only that they are not what the film cares about.

Gerster’s first feature, *A Coffee in Berlin*, followed a young man drifting through a day while the city failed to notice him, and Tom is that man a decade and more on, somewhere hotter. The script, by Gerster with Lawrie Doran and Blaž Kutin, is better on what Tom’s life is like than on what happens in it. Most critics have been warmer than we are, and we see why: a film this patient and this well shot is not common. But if you call something a thriller, people will come for the thrill, and this one keeps it in a drawer.

Watch it on a quiet evening with nothing planned afterwards. It is a film about waiting, and it will want you to do some.

*Fi1m score 68, published 12 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics approve and none is hostile: seven positive notices, five mixed. The praise clusters on Sam Riley, whose weary, dissolute Tom is named in half the reviews as the film’s anchor, with Stacy Martin and Jack Farthing cited alongside him. The Fuerteventura setting draws comment too, both for its widescreen isolation and for its seedy picture of the package holiday, and several reviews admire the film’s subtle, unresolved handling of its central mystery.

The reservations cluster on length and shape. More than one review finds the second act overlong and the tension slackening towards the close, and the mixed notices agree that the film is stronger as a portrait of Tom’s discontent than as a thriller, with the investigation called anticlimactic and the final reveal underwhelming. The spread is moderate rather than wide; the outlier is the Evening Standard, which awards full marks and finds a sizzling Hitchcockian mystery where others see a slow burn.

## Straight answers

**Is Islands worth watching?**

*Islands* is worth watching for patient viewers who will sit with a slow, handsome mystery for the sake of Sam Riley’s performance, and we scored it 68. Riley is quietly excellent as a tennis coach gone to seed on Fuerteventura, and the island is shot to look like the last place on earth. The plot moves about an inch in its middle hour, so anyone coming for a thrill will find it kept in a drawer.

**How long is Islands, and what is it rated?**

*Islands* runs 2h 03m. It is a thriller and drama film.

**Where can I watch Islands in Denmark?**

*Islands* is not on any streaming or rental service in Denmark at the moment. It is available in 13 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Islands, and is it suitable for children?**

*Islands* carries a UK 15 certificate and is a slow adult drama rather than a frightening or violent one. The unease comes from Dascha Dauenhauer’s low electronic score and the sense that something is wrong before anything is, not from anything shown; there is heavy drinking, a police investigation into a missing man and a plot that turns on adult relationships. It is not for children, and teenagers may find it too slow.

**How does Islands compare to Purple Noon?**

*Islands* and [*Purple Noon*](https://film.one/film/purple-noon) share a missing man, a coast where the sun seems to be in on it and a central performance that holds the screen by keeping still. Clément’s film is the better thriller: its suspicion never quite relaxes, while Gerster’s is more interested in what Tom’s life feels like than in what happens in it. Watch the earlier film for tension and this one for Sam Riley.

**What should I watch after Islands?**

After *Islands*, try [*Plein soleil*](https://film.one/film/purple-noon) (1960, Fi1m 82): Alain Delon on an Italian coast, a missing man, and the sun as an accomplice. Then [*Sexy Beast*](https://film.one/film/sexy-beast) (2000, Fi1m 85): An Englishman gone to seed on the Spanish coast, until the past turns up; and [*Aftersun*](https://film.one/film/aftersun) (2022, Fi1m 85): A package holiday remembered, with something wrong beneath the sun loungers.

### Reviews we read (12)

- **Evening Standard**, Nick Howells (5/5): Howells praises the film as a sizzling, slow-burning mystery that becomes a distinctive European arthouse piece. He singles out its atmospheric soundtrack, Hitchcockian imagery and a jaw-dropping camel scene. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/islands-review-sam-riley-stacy-martin-hitchcockian-b1246794.html)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (Critics Pick): Debruge finds the film a compelling, existential thriller about people trapped in lives of their own making. He praises Fuerteventura’s widescreen imagery for reinforcing the characters’ isolation. [Read](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/islands-review-sam-riley-1236309734/)
- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (B+): Ehrlich finds the film gripping, hypnotic, and unexpectedly hopeful. He singles out the tense, languid interplay between Tom’s possible future and the mystery of Dave’s disappearance. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/islands-movie-review-sam-riley-stacy-martin-1235096571/)
- **Little White Lies**, Emily Maskell (3/4/3): Maskell finds the thriller tantalising but says its pacing falters, especially in the overlong second act. She praises the film’s subtle ambiguity, seductive atmosphere and the lead performances. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/islands)
- **Sight and Sound**, BFI (75/100, inferred): The review finds the film absorbing and inventive, though too ponderous and reserved to work as a thriller. It particularly praises Sam Riley’s nuanced performance and the film’s subtle, unresolved paternity mystery. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/islands-sam-riley-superb-burned-out-tennis-pro-this-slippery-summer-noir)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (70/100, inferred): Rooney finds the film absorbing and well-acted, though overlong and weakened by tension that slackens in its closing stretch. He especially praises Sam Riley and Stacy Martin’s compelling performances and the atmospheric island setting. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/islands-review-sam-riley-stacy-martin-jack-farthing-1236138327/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (65/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the film smart and intriguing, though its dramatic shape and emotional focus could be sharper. He praises its subtle approach to the mystery and the strong performances, especially from Sam Riley, Stacy Martin and Jack Farthing. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/feb/16/islands-review-sexual-tension-and-dangerously-polite-encounters)
- **Screen Daily**, Fionnuala Halligan (64/100, inferred): Screen Daily identifies this as a review of Jan Ole Gerster’s 2025 film. The review’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint are unavailable in the paywall shell. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/islands-review-sam-riley-stacy-martin-scorch-in-canary-islands-suspense/5202038.article)
- **Slant Magazine**, Taylor Williams (2.5/4): Williams finds the film most compelling as a portrait of Tom’s existential malaise, but says its crime plot pushes him toward an unearned epiphany. He praises the hypnotic attention to Tom’s routine and the film’s subtle treatment of class, while faulting its anticlimactic investigation. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/islands-review-sam-riley/)
- **Deadline**, Nicolas Rapold (70/100, inferred): Rapold finds the slow-burn drama’s portrait of ordinary discontent quietly affecting, though its languid romantic tension can feel underplayed. He particularly praises Sam Riley’s weary yet diligent performance, while noting Stacy Martin could bring more urgency. [Read](https://deadline.com/2025/02/islands-review-jan-ole-gerster-sa-riley-stacy-martin-slow-burn-drama-1236291477/)
- **Eye for Film**, Richard Mowe (60/100, inferred): Mowe finds the thriller accomplished but overlong, with a final reveal that feels underwhelming. He praises the actors’ skill, especially Sam Riley’s portrayal of the dissolute Tom. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/islands-2025-film-review-by-richard-mowe)
- **The Skinny**, Carmen Paddock (★★★): The review finds the central mystery disappointing, though the film works better as a study of people trapped in the liminal world of package holidays. It praises Sam Riley’s portrayal of Tom’s frustration and the film’s depiction of the holidays’ seedy underbelly. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/eiff-2025-islands)

## Details

- **Director:** Jan Ole Gerster
- **Director:** Jan Ole Gerster
- **Writer:** Blaž Kutin, Jan Ole Gerster, Lawrie Doran
- **Story:** Jan Ole Gerster
- **Cinematography:** Juan Sarmiento G.
- **Editor:** Matthew Newman, Antje Zynga
- **Music:** Dascha Dauenhauer
- **Production design:** Cora Pratz
- **Producer:** Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo
- **Cast:** Sam Riley as Tom; Stacy Martin as Anne; Jack Farthing as Dave; Dylan Torrell as Anton; Agnes Lindström Bolmgren as Janis; Bruna Cusí as María; Pep Ambròs as Jorge; Fatima Adoum as Amina
- **Runtime:** 2h 03m
- **First release (Germany):** 16 February 2025
- **Genres:** Thriller, Drama, Crime
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MifpmLyraBE

## Where to watch in Denmark

Not streaming, renting or buying in Denmark at the last check.

Also available in: AE, AT, BE, CA, CH, DE, EE, FR, GB, IE, LT, NL, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Plein soleil* (1960), Fi1m 82: Alain Delon on an Italian coast, a missing man, and the sun as an accomplice. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/purple-noon.md)
- *Match Point* (2005): Another tennis coach who gets too close to the family paying his wages.
- *Sexy Beast* (2000), Fi1m 85: An Englishman gone to seed on the Spanish coast, until the past turns up. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/sexy-beast.md)
- *Aftersun* (2022), Fi1m 85: A package holiday remembered, with something wrong beneath the sun loungers. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/aftersun.md)
- *A Coffee in Berlin* (2012): Gerster’s first feature; the same drifting man, younger and colder and funnier.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/islands