Failed novelist Amos (Ivan Aristeguieta) is convinced by a friend to stand in for them for a day at a remote island research station. When the friend fails to return Amos discovers he is trapped there indefinitely, until he can convince another person to come and take his place.

There is a rough-hewn independent sensibility to Yesterday Island, an absurdist Australian comedy written and directed by Sam Voutas. Those low production values really suit its script or, rather, Voutas has developed a screenplay that emphasises dialogue and human interaction in order to meet its limited budget. Either way, it is cheerfully entertaining stuff that makes drama out of petty interpersonal conflicts and tremendous comedy out of repetition and boredom.

It joins the growing ranks of science fiction comedies that base themselves around time loops. Amos is trapped living the same day on the island, just as his friend Dusty (Francis Greenslade) did, and just like someone else will once Amos fools them into taking the boat south to replace him. It is not the finest example of the time loop narrative – probably still Harold Ramis’ Groundhog Day (1993) – nor the most complex – Yamaguchi Junta’s Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2000) is mind-blowing – but it certainly a pleasant and clever excursion with the form.

Before long Amos elects to invite his ex Gemma (Florence Noble) to replace him, but then cannot bring himself to leave her there. That leaves them both trapped until they can find two victims to willingly replace them. It is a growing comic catastrophe packed with both minor incidents as well as more major ones – there is murder involved – that are treated as minor. One smiles appreciatively more than laughs out loud, but honestly that seems exactly the sort of clever amusement for which Voutas is aiming.

The film is also technically impressive in small, low-budget ways that most viewers will not even recognise. Cinematographer Alexander Naughton seems particularly worthy of praise, as well as whoever came up with the idea of restarting the day repeatedly with the same set of opening titles. It is deliciously self-aware.

Ivan Aristeguieta anchors the movie extremely well, given his dual requirement of showing Amos off as a rather pathetic figure and also making him a sympathetic viewpoint and protagonist. Francis Greenslade does a superb low-key job as Dusty; it is particularly impressive if one has mostly seen him do sketch comedy in the past. Florence Noble is let down slightly by having a character less interesting than everybody else. Supporting players contribute enormous value, particularly Fiona Crombie and David Fane as a pair of board game-obsessed island neighbours, and

It is clever, funny stuff, and another example of the growing range of genre films that are getting successfully funded and produced in Australia in recent years. Back in the early 1990s the Australian film industry seemed particularly skilled at breezy, idiosyncratic comedies. In the middle of the 2020s that emphasis really does seem to have shifted, and an entire generation of inexpensive, modest science fiction and horror pictures are showcasing some of the best in what our filmmakers can do.

Yesterday Island is screening at the Sydney Film Festival. Click here for more information and session times.