Film review: The Ballad of Wallis Island

A delightful British gem

As I write this, it is 3:15pm on Sunday afternoon. I’m at my desk, littered with writing and book paraphernalia. Playing through my speaker is the soundtrack to James Griffiths’ The Ballad of Wallis Island.

I’ve been home less than five minutes after a midday screening of the film. Haven’t even had a wee yet. I just had to sit down and write a review for this absolute treasure of a film.

It begins with Charles (Tim Key) stood at the shore of Wallis Island, welcoming Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) - one half of his favourite musical duo - to the island as he muddles off a teeny boat with several bags and his guitar. Charles soon gets to helping Herb off the boat, which leads to the latter falling face-first into the ocean.

And that pretty much sets the tone for the film.

Charles lives a relatively isolated life, living alone in an enormous house and only having a few villagers nearby. He doesn’t even own a phone. But after a stroke of luck he is riddled with money, and uses it to pay for Herb to deliver a private gig. Much to Herb’s surprise, Charles also invited Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan) - the other half of the aforementioned duo - who he hasn’t seen in almost a decade. And her husband.

Oh, and Charles is going to be the only audience member.

Charles at this moment: “to paraphrase The Beatles, ‘there goes the sun’”

Later in the film, we learn of Charles’ bittersweet reason for loving McGwyer Mortimer (a creative name for the band!) so much, and the third act takes a more emotive, poignant turn. It’s still an upbeat, wholesome heartwarmer, but it’s a gentle reminder that life comes with sunshine and showers.

The Ballad of Wallis Island begins and ends with McGwyer Mortimer’s time with Charles. No more, no less. We are given glimpses into the before, with lots of space for us to put two and two together, but it is mainly a moment in time with little else for us to worry about. Sometimes the best stories do exactly this - just get us to focus on the here and now.

Charles and Herb are really at the heart of the story. Charles is a quirky character, completely incapable of allowing a quiet moment to pass by blurting phrases I will be stealing for probably the rest of time. “Dame Judy Drenched” was the personal favourite. Meanwhile, Herb is a guarded and complex man, clearly on the brink of something. His chemistry with Nell is wonderful but also devastating, knowing the two are no longer in each other’s lives.

Without sounding too cliche, Wallis Island is a character of sorts throughout the film. Lashings of rain hitting conservatory windows, gorse and grass rustling in the wind, waves lapping at beach pebbles, the remoteness of it all… the setting is Great British beauty without the romanticism and glamour. It’s rustic in all the right ways, and it made me yearn for trips up to the Scottish coast.

For a film that has a run time of an hour and 40 minutes, it packs a punch. In a world where movies are often longer than two and a half hours when they should be much shorter, The Ballad of Wallis Island felt like I’d watched a lifetime in mere moments. I could have gladly kept watching forever.

In a sentence: The Ballad of Wallis Island is a quintessentially British gem. Think About Time for that humorous-yet-devastatingly-beautiful vibe. In fact, the Richard Curtis himself said it’s “one of the greatest British films of all time”.

In the humour, the cinematography, the joy and the poignancy; it was an absolute treat to watch. This is what films are all about. They don’t have to spend millions on special effects or cram themselves with action sequences; sometimes they can quietly tell a delightful story with little frills, and instead rely on the magic of humanity.

It’s rare to watch a movie - whether at the cinema or at home - and immediately want to watch it again. The Ballad of Wallis Island had that exact effect on me and, if you can, I highly recommend you pay a visit to watch it on the big screen. Or if you’ve already seen it, I’d love to know what you thought.