The Ballad of Wallis Island a perfect jewel of a film
Writer-stars Tim Key and Tom Basden have made a funny, touching film with characters you'll fall in love with.
The premise of The Ballad of Wallis Island is simple – a rich, lonely man has one obsession in life, the folk duo McGwyer Mortimer, who broke up painfully years ago.
He decides to bring them back together for a concert on his isolated island - for a very small audience of one.
You’d think that sounds like an indie cringe-comedy with poor Herb McGwyer being stalked by a crazy fan. That’s what I thought too.
It’s not that though. In a lot of ways, it’s the opposite of that. For a start, it’s got the always magic ingredient Carey Mulligan in it, playing Nell Mortimer.
And The Ballad of Wallis Island is also very funny. Not cringe-comedy funny, or desperate puns funny – though both feature a bit. Funny because you fall in love with the characters and want the best for them.
Review: The Ballad Of Wallis Island
It opens on Herb – Tom Basden - arriving at Wallis Island’s harbour, only to find there isn’t one. His host Charles – the bumbling Tim Key – seems to have been off the grid for so long he’s rather lost the knack of hosting.
We’re obviously not talking the Shea Stadium for the concert. But Charles is a genuine McGwyer Mortimer fan, even if he’s not so keen on Herb’s later solo material. And Herb can’t deny the money will come in handy - a lot of money for one small concert.
Many thousands of pounds, in fact, and a concert to an audience of one. Charles is putting his money where his mouth is.
And since he’s paying the solo piper, he feels he’s allowed to ask a few personal questions, like why did Herb and Nell actually break up?
Did I say solo piper? Don’t worry, Charles has got good news, and here she comes now. With no warning, Herb’s long-estranged musical and personal partner will be joining him onstage. Well, on the beach.
The story is cleverly being sold as a second-time-around romance. But writer-stars Basden and Key have other plans for The Ballad of Wallis Island.
We’re initially intrigued, watching Herb and Nell reviving their memories of old songs and old times, but this is also Charles’s story. In fact, very much Charles’s story.
Key plays Charles so sweetly that his endless jokes – slightly irritating to start with – become strangely endearing - “wowsers in your trousers”.
Carey Mulligan and Tom Basden.
Supplied
Meanwhile Herb, Basden wrote all the songs, by the way, achieves another tricky transition from self-indulgent ‘Important Artist’ to a decent human being.
The key to Herb’s progress is meeting Nell again, of course – not just the new, more mature Nell, but the reminder of why they got together in the first place.
The idea of music is often the hardest thing to get right in a movie, but getting Mulligan to help is always a good first step.
The Ballad of Wallis Island inevitably brings to mind two other perfect jewels of movies – the Scottish comedy-drama-romance, Local Hero, and another boy-girl duo, the Irish mini-musical Once.
Like them, it’s funny, but the comedy doesn’t get in the way of what’s really going on. And like them it’s about watching people grow, but not quite in the way you’re expecting.
It’s nicely directed by TV veteran James Griffiths. But the skill, the charm and the success of The Ballad of Wallis Island is all in the playing. As I say, perfect.
