The Ballad of Wallis Island

Review by Mark Woodring

Every year, you hear about a movie that hits film festivals and seems to come out of nowhere with the level of acclaim it musters from audiences. This year, at the now-Penultimate Sundance Film Festival in Park City, one of those movies was The Ballad of Wallis Island, a quiet drama from the UK.

I have heard raves from my fellow Utah film critics about how good this one is since the festival, and last night, I finally got to see for myself.

**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, but remember, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**

The Ballad of Wallis Island - Review
The Ballad of Wallis Island (Focus)

 

100 Minutes, Rated PG-13
Written by Tom Basden, Tim Key
Directed by James Griffiths

Synopsis:

The Ballad of Wallis Island follows Charles, an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians, McGwyer – Mortimer, back together.

 

Wow.

First, let me start by saying that, no, this film won’t be for everyone. The closest thing to a “big star” it has is Carey Mulligan, whom we all love, but who is more known for choosing roles that might otherwise go underappreciated by audiences. She does that again, here, playing Nell Mortimer, former musical and personal partner to Tom Basden’s Herb McGwyer, who together enjoyed a rising career in folk music before their association fell apart. she has since left music and lives a quiet life making chutney for Portland farmer’s market.

That’s how all musicians end their careers, right?

As they are brought together on Wallis Island by Charles (Tim Key), a huge fan of McGwyer-Mortimer’s music, for a high-paying, one night show for an audience of one: himself.

Charles’ motivations are his own, but as we are slowly exposed to them, we cannot help but be reminded how music can massively affect each of us. No matter your taste in music might be, there is an artist, or a song, or a period, that reaches deep into your soul and reminds you of a place, a time, a person, in a way simple memory cannot. It digs into you and extracts those thoughts an feelings you might try to hide, to lock away behind the locks of adulthood, or shame, or guilt, but music is the ultimate emotional lock-pick, bypassing our defenses in a way that humanity isn’t equipped to prevent.

This is the music of McGwyer-Mortimer in Charles’ world.

As Herb arrives, we meet Charles through his eyes; he seems to be one step removed from a psychopathic fan. Unfiltered and inappropriate comments fly out of his mouth, along with a barrage of bad jokes and linguistic puns exposing his awe and gratitude for being in the presence of a man whose art has affected him in ways Herb cannot possibly understand.

Tensions arise as the details of the show come into focus. Originally believing the show was a solo act for him, Herb is distressed to learn Charles has invited Nell, who arrives with her husband, Michael, on the island.

It is now that The Ballad of Wallis Island begins to truly find itself, as Nell and Herb are forced to address (and avoid) the issues that drove them apart, while preparing for a show playing songs which no longer apply to their personal relationship, though clearly they are musically still a perfect match.

As the layers are pulled back on McGwyer-Mortimer, so are the ones hiding Charles, both from his guests and himself, as we begin to see the cracks in his joy in their music exposing his underlying grief.

Tim Key’s portrayal of Charles is mind-bogglingly good. As the pair perform, or even just practice, he manages to convey both that sense of joy and wonder overtop of the grief in the same moment. In the rare moments when he manages to not talk, Charles’ eyes say all we need to know. It was a surprising performance for me, as my only previous exposure to Key was during his time on the UK game show Taskmaster, alongside other comedians. While his comedic chops were clear, I had no idea he was capable of this.

I hope this performance doesn’t get lost over the remainder of the year. It may not hold up in the face of other performances sure to come, but it does need to be appreciated for as long as possible.

One thing which also rises to the top of The Ballad of Wallis Island is the original music. Written by Tom Basden, the songs perfectly encapsulate the appeal of folk, while also, in many ways, telling the long-ago story of McGwyer-Mortimer to the audience. I couldn’t pick a favorite, but I hope at least one of them strikes a chord with folks come “best original song” time.

Basden’s Herb is a man at war with his own life. Now a solo artist, he struggles for relevancy in his profession and meaning in his own soul. Music is his passion, but rather than it failing him, he comes to realize that he, in fact, has been failing IT.

The film brings together all these aspects of human interactions, old relationships, distant relationships, even the idea of new relationships, and swaddles them in the music, music which cuts through our own denial of its power and forces us to face up to all things: most notably, ourselves.

The Ballad of Wallis Island is, as I had been told it was, one of the best films of the year. At once heartwarming, heartbreaking, and inspiring, it should enjoy a more than modest run in theaters, appealing to movie lovers of all stripes who want to be made uncomfortable (in the best possible way) by a film that will make them think and feel in ways they may not wish to.

But who will be the better for it.

The Ballad of Wallis Island lands wide in theaters this Friday, April 4, and stars Tom Basden, Tim Key, Carey Mulligan, Sian Clifford, and Akemnji Ndifornyen.

And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.

Please don’t forget to LIKE, SHARE, and FOLLOW us on:

And please, if you like what we do, consider helping us keep on entertaining you. You can use this handy link:




Or, you could check out the merch in Our Store:

VSMP Merch Store

Not only will you be helping us out if you pick up some merch, you get cool stuff to wear around (including the coveted WTFWT? logo!)


 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,