Review: ISLAND - Off Beat Drama/Thriller Can’t Decide What it Wants to Be
rating: 3
(Apologies for the lateness. My editor was enjoying the sunshine too much to get this up sooner) British cinema seems to sit squarely within one of three categories these days: the mushy romantic comedy, the low budget quirky horror or the hard-hitting social drama. Island slots somewhere between the latter two to offer a confused viewing experience that simultaneously appears to be a social drama whilst evoking notions of horror. Its hard to say whether it works Island will keep your attention until the end, but it will likely leave you feeling a little disappointed as it fails to follow through on any of the hints it gives you. From the opening monologue When I was 29, I decided to kill my mother. Island gives the impression that its going to be revenge driven, psychological thriller. However, over the course of the narrative this is never fully achieved and events transpire to turn it into more of an emotional rollercoaster than anything else. Nikki Black (Natalie Press) was abandoned by her mother as a baby. Left on the steps of a building, she has grown up in the care system and is both bitter and hurt by her rough start in life. Suffering from recurrent dreams and visions from what was a turbulent and tortured childhood, she suffers mentally from the pain and anguish. Managing to discover the identity of her mother as one Phyllis Lovage (Janet McTeer), she travels to the womans hometown on a remote Scottish island with the intention of killing her. Spotting a notice for a room available to hire in her mothers home, Nikki takes it under the pretence of researching for a human geography project. Whilst there she immediately discovers that Phyllis has an adult son, Calum (Colin Morgan). Though a number of opportunities arise for her to commit her deadly act, the revelation that she has a half brother throws a spanner in the works for Nikki. Instead spending time getting to know both Calum and Phyllis, Nikki frantically battles with her emotions. Will she be able to follow through with her murderous plan or will her burgeoning feelings for Calum prevent her from doing so? Whatever path she chooses, its sure to change Nikkis life forever
Based on a novel by Jane Rogers a writer who has published seven novels, as well as written original screenplays for television and radio, plus worked on literary adaptations for the same mediums Island is a story wrapped up in fairytales and ancient myth. For the characters Nikki and Calum, fairytales are a way to connect. Both use them to explain difficult moments in their lives (Nikkis abandonment and the death of Calums father, for example) and as a way to relate to each other. The film itself tries to present itself as a fairytale to a certain extent, as beautiful shots of the mythical looking Scottish landscape blend with typical fairytale characterisation. For both Nikki and Calum, their mutual love for mysterious ancient tales enables them to forge a relationship and a bond that can eventually transcend that of Calums with his overbearing mother. As such, Island features some wonderful folk tale inspired imagery, including some rough animated sequences in the opening sequence. This works well with creating an overall air of tension and mystery, but conflicts with aspects of the narrative such as the social commentary elements. With its fairytale like construction, Island is very much a piece about a trio of main characters and as such a massive emphasis is put on the central family. Natalie Press as Nikki looks the part of a tortured soul brought up in an uncaring care system and she throws herself into character with conviction. Shes unfortunately rather wooden though and her delivery of dialogue can be off putting at times. Nikki never really becomes a likeable character, yet at the same time shes not fully dislikeable either. Press is far better in the scenes that require her to act with angst and her ability to demonstrate Nikkis anguish through dialogue-less facial expression leads to a more successful portrayal. In the final confrontation sequence, Press finally comes into her own and manages to evoke the rage and torment Nikki feels, without overacting (something she is guilty of in earlier portions of the film). 
Janet McTeer as Phyllis gives a strong performance as the mysterious mother Nikki has tracked down. Suffering from some unexplained illness and pain, shes often seen concocting or taking her own homemade remedies. Through the exaggerated comparisons with classical fairytale discourses, Phyllis is likened to a wicked witch and McTeer brilliantly captures a sense of this in her brooding performance. Coupled with her rustic wardrobe and wild hair, Phyllis is an enigmatic character that allows McTeer a greater dramatic scope than other characters. However, the real star of Island is Colin Morgan. His character of Calum is portrayed as being rather slow and almost childlike. His mother is overprotective to a fault and he has had very little in way of worldly experience. Morgan perfectly captures Calums innocence whilst injecting his performance with enough ambiguity to leave him unpredictable and slightly unnerving in places (with a deep violent streak present inside him). Calums dependence on Phyllis is offset by his growing relationship with Nikki, who presents herself as an escape from the island and a passage to a new, liberated life. Morgan captures the essence of Calum through a series of hauntingly empty and confused facial expressions, unsure dialogue and impassioned retellings of local folklore. Morgan makes Calum a complex character despite his apparent mental disabilities: in fact, it is only ever briefly touched upon that he isnt quite all there, making his capricious characterisation that much more unsettling. Whilst the narrative may be flawed in places, the three central performances work in tandem to create intriguing character portraits that helps hold viewers attentions. One of Islands more interesting features is its combination of different genre conventions and the merging of these to create a social drama horror/thriller: a rather unique combination! Directors Elizabeth Mitchell and Brek Taylor add a distinctive spin on their social commentary by taking aspects of horror genre conventions and merging these techniques into the wider narrative. Continuity is very loose and it is often hard to tell what is reality and what is simply Nikkis fantasy. Flashbacks are used in excess and whilst these are easier to spot they add a certain element of uncomfort, as they generally hint towards Nikkis childhood being one full of abuse and torment. The directors also keep a lot of the frames that focus on the actors very tight, which heightens both the air of mystery and the generation of suspense. One scene finds Nikki lost in a fog storm, which is shot extremely claustrophobically and in turn effectively combined with spooky sound effects and a tense soundtrack score. The visual imagery here also mimics Nikkis emotional feelings of confusion and anger extremely effectively. 
Whilst the narrative is shrouded in mystery that is enhanced through the use of horror genre techniques, there are also some relieving moments of comedy scattered throughout. One instant sees Nikki get trapped in a deep boggy puddle, which she needs Calums help to get out of. These brief episodes help develop the relationship between the two half-siblings as well as heightening the suspense surrounding whether Nikki will complete her murderous intentions. It is this confusion in technique combination though that makes Island seem a little bit messy and unfocused however. Had the narrative simply consisted of a straightforward revenge thriller, the use of horror techniques would have been an obvious choice. However, here they serve to keep audiences questioning whether Nikki will actually murder her mother. After the first attempt is thwarted suspense is heightened, however, after the third time this happens it starts to become more a case of whats going to stop her now? Essentially, Island attempts to combine melodrama with suspense. This is not done as successfully as other psychological thriller films such as Black Swan (2010) but in a similarly inventive way. Its twisted, its off beat and itll mess with your head in a slightly irritating way, but Island will certainly keep you guessing about whats going to happen until the end and will possibly throw some surprises up for you too. Whilst its far from exceptional, if you like your films quirky you could do a whole lot worse trying to wile away an hour and a half this long Easter weekend! Island is on limited U.K. release from Soda Pictures now.