Islands

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1:45

Islands

Jan 2026

2h 1m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

52 Reviews

54%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

In this twisty thriller, a tennis coach at a tropical resort finds himself at the center of a missing persons mystery. Tom (Sam Riley) teaches tennis during the day and parties at night. When an enigmatic tourist (Stacy Martin) arrives, Tom is unable to shake the feeling he has met her before. Tension and attraction grow, until her husband (Jack Farthing) disappears, and the police suspect Tom.

Critics Consensus

A glossy, slow burn thriller carried by soulful performances, Islands compellingly explores loneliness with artful restraint and intoxicating atmosphere.

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John Powers

NPR

Feb 19

In its blend of high-art style and pulp crime story, Islands is a nifty piece of what we might call Existential Pop.

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Carlos Aguilar

RogerEbert.com

Jan 30

3/4

The character construction and how their respective desires intersect with one another, in tandem with an effectively dizzying atmosphere, render it more original than expected.

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Peter Travers

The Travers Take

Jan 30

3/4

A sexy tennis bum (Sam Riley) and a married woman (Stacy Martin) meet at a resort and stir up murderous thoughts in a too cryptic thriller fthat recalls Hitchcock and Antonioni while revealing a tormented mind of its own.

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Kat Halstead

Common Sense Media

2d

3/5

This familiar-feeling psychological drama is given a mysterious, existential twist by German director Jan-Ole Gerster.

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Filipe Freitas

Always Good Movies

Mar 30

3/5

The storytelling isn’t particularly strong, and this sub-Hitchcockian runaround gradually becomes weighed down by emotional sterility.

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Chuck Bowen

Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)

Mar 20

While you’re trying to solve a mystery that might not even exist, Gerster proffers a moving and atmospheric character study.

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Angela L

Feb 8

I dont get the high positive review for this movie. I found it slow and boring with no point.

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caldera

Feb 8

Horrible no pointt what so ever

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Remy

Feb 1

Don't know where they were going with the movie but enjoyed it enough for the vibes

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Robert S

@RT89139686 Apr 1

This is a bit of a slow burn, but if you can just go with it, the film rewards with a nifty little payoff at the end. It reminded me of Body Heat. The ending was a surprise until it happened, then I said to myself, "Of course."

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Dave D.

@DoubleDownDave Apr 1

It had its intriguing moments of mystery, but overall it’s pretty boring. There’s no action. Nice views though.

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victor S

@RT30890069 Mar 28

A slow burn continuation of Antonioni's "l'aventura", with a twist of Hitchcock and Highsmith. With a spot-on soundtrack. No explosions or juvenile nonsense here, just human relations. Have some patience, sink into the characters, and soak up some sun.

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Jan-Ole Gerster

Director

Sam Riley

Tom

Stacy Martin

Anne

Jack Farthing

Dave

Dylan Torrell

Anton

Pep Ambròs

Jorge

Islands: Trailer 1

1:45

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Synopsis

In this twisty thriller, a tennis coach at a tropical resort finds himself at the center of a missing persons mystery. Tom (Sam Riley) teaches tennis during the day and parties at night. When an enigmatic tourist (Stacy Martin) arrives, Tom is unable to shake the feeling he has met her before. Tension and attraction grow, until her husband (Jack Farthing) disappears, and the police suspect Tom.

Director: Jan-Ole Gerster
Producer: Maximilian Leo, Jonas Katzenstein
Screenwriter: Jan-Ole Gerster, Lawrie Doran, Blaz Kutin
Distributor: Greenwich Entertainment
Production Co: Leonine Studios, Deutscher Filmförderfonds, Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA), Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, NRW Film Board, Augenschein Filmproduktion, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Schiwago Film
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 30, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 13, 2026
Runtime: 2h 1m
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1