Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- dreamy
- eerie
- late night arthouse viewing
- experimental cinema marathon
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The characters move through a retro-technical world of luxury in which attraction and nightmare continually overlap.
The plot explicitly describes attraction as horror and centers the power of desire over the characters.
The film is described as a mysterious retro-technical nightmare with reality presented as fiction.
The film is identified with lgbt themes and frames love, flesh, and attraction through surreal dream logic.
Films like Islands, and why
The Neon Demon
shares erotic surrealism, decadent imagery, psychological horror, and desire treated as a destabilizing force
The Duke of Burgundy
shares queer eroticism, dreamlike sensuality, stylized horror, and emotionally ambiguous relationships
Knife+Heart
shares French queer cinema, heightened theatricality, nocturnal atmosphere, and horror intertwined with romantic longing
Movie Details
- Director
- Yann Gonzalez
- Release Date
- 2017-05-21
- Runtime
- 23 min
- Rating
- 4.2 / 10 (25)
Cast
- Sarah-Megan Allouch
- Mathilde Mennetrier
- Alphonse Maitrepierre
- Romain Merle
- Simone Thiébaut
- Thomas Ducasse
- Félix Maritaud
- Pierre-Ange Carlotti
- Roméo Husquin
- Valentin Langlais
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Islands about?
- A sensual nightmare turns romantic longing into a strange escape route through a luxurious, unstable dream world.
- What is Islands like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Islands as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Islands violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Islands.
- Which films are like Islands?
- Films with a similar feel include The Neon Demon, The Duke of Burgundy, and Knife+Heart.
- How long is Islands?
- Islands runs 23 minutes.
- Where can I watch Islands?
- In United States, Islands streams on Philo.
