Sam Riley’s worried expression, reminding of his turn in the 2007 Joy Division film Control, grabs our attention from the get-go in Jan-Ole Gerster’s thriller Islands. Shot in the Canary Islands, the film starts off as an entertaining film noir-inspired crime mystery à la Patricia Highsmith, but veers off into uncharted territory by the end.
Riley’s excellent portrayal of tennis coach Tom might conjure up Elliott Gould in Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye (1973). Tom’s pro days of being able to stand up to the likes of Rafael Nadal are over: booze, women and hangovers have transformed him into a has-been working as a coach for luxury resort guests. Soon he finds himself caught in a web between a mysterious woman, his sketchy husband and accusations of murder.
Colombian cinematographer Juan Sarmiento beautifully captures Fuerteventura’s sandy beaches and mountains. The islands’ locals eke out their existence, estranged from the all-encompassing tourist industry and its leisure possibilities. Islands captures the essence of this uncharmed life considerably more skilfully than other films of its ilk.
Timo Malmi