Islands

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.

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 ...

"Islands" thrives in ambiguity. Beneath the sun-drenched frames and the languid pacing lies a noir-like tension, where intimacy feels transactional and family bonds seem almost performative. The subtext hints that Tom is less a lover and more a surrogate, raising questions of paternity and control. It's a study in projection, repression, and the unsettling space between desire and manipulation cinema that lingers like a half-remembered dream.

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.