Tom Basden

Tim Key

Carey Mulligan

Sian Clifford

Akemnji Ndifornyen

Steve Marsh

Luka Downie

Kerrie Thomason

Arron Long

James Griffiths

Adem Ilhan

G. Magni Ágústsson

Catherine Willis

Alexandra Toomey

Eliora Darmon

Gabriela Yiaxis

Quin Williams

Ina Lüders

Laurence Brown

Yana Georgieva

Stephen Kelliher

Rupert Majendie

Sarah Monteith

Mark Murrell

Steve Newton

Max Lincoln

Amy Carter Mason

Frances Hounsom

Rebecca Micallef

Hsinyi Liu

Lauriel Martin

Zara Pink

Richard Ruck

Tina Schepers

Jackie Vance

Giulia Lyla Balsamo

Charlotte Brokenbrow

Peter Leslie

Francis Quigley

Christian Ashton

Sam Crowley

Sarah Priest

Gus Wookey

Alexander Aguilar

Juan Pablo Saldarriaga Alaguna

Zak Allum

Sebastian Alzate Lopez

Maria Clara Calle

Andy Coles

Jack Cook

David Crane

Benjamin Darier

Andrew Gaidanov

Renzo Garcia

Sebastian Vasquez Garzon

Giancarlo Granata

Daniel Jaramillo Gutierrez

Calum Sample

Martin Schulz

Danny Hargreaves

Lister Morris

Dan Bourne

Chris Chittty

Gabriella Kassinou

Annie Mitchell

Eugen Olsen

Bob Pipe

Jonathan Alenskas

Marcus Shakesheff

Jake Abraham

Steve Burgess

Neil Cain

Tom Goddard

Alistair Heap

Ken Hodgson

Jed Holownia

Mark Holownia

Rowan Holownia

Ellis Wyn Jones

Jeremy Middleton

Piran John Miller

Miya Mizuno

Ross Onions

Sarah Harkins

Chiara Vicini

Georgia Smith

Jasmine Daniels

Andrew Fisun

Jeff Halsey

Alfie Mitchell

Emily Russul Saib

Adam Sample

Tommy Southgate

Harriet Press

Karen Crossan

Comedy

Drama

Music

The Ballad of Wallis Island

Baby Cow Productions

Moxie Pictures

Focus Features

BBC Studios

United Kingdom

United States of America

Brent Marchant

Recapturing the past may be an enticing, seductive prospect, especially when it involves revisiting pleasant memories of days gone by. But is it realistically achievable or just wishful thinking? That’s a question posed on multiple levels in the second theatrical feature from director James Griffiths. When Charles Heath (Tim Key), a wealthy, eccentric but lonely lottery winner living by himself on a remote North Atlantic island, furtively finances a command performance of his favorite now-disbanded folk rock duo – artistic and onetime-romantic partners Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) and Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan) – he hopes to relive fond memories of their once-popular musical style and recollections of the days he shared them with the love of his life. There’s just one hitch – Charles conceals more than a few important details about the true nature of his plan, revelations that take the long-estranged musical duo somewhat by surprise. But, as their stay on the island unfolds, old memories are rekindled, prompting Herb and Nell to question the choices they’ve made and whether they want to take another shot at what they once had. As a result, Charles becomes something of an impromptu, unwitting matchmaker living vicariously through his guests’ experience, enveloped in a cloak of his own bittersweet nostalgia. But, considering how the lives of all three characters have changed, can the past be brought back to life, especially now that Nell is married to an adoring husband (Akemnji Ndifornyen), Herb has moved on to new types of questionable musical projects and Charles swoons (albeit bashfully) for the owner of the island’s general store (Sian Clifford)? Indeed, memories may prove to be heartwarming to relive, but can they be effectively and authentically re-created? Those are the scenarios that play out in this warm, touching alternative romcom, one that sports a quirky vibe not unlike that found in the charming comedy classic “Local Hero” (1983) mixed with the romantic reunion storyline of “A Mighty Wind” (2003). These elements are effectively enhanced by the natural, unassuming performances of the three principals, the fine original songs composed for the film and gorgeous cinematography of the craggy, windswept Welsh island location. It’s rare these days that a romantic comedy provides viewers with anything more than prototypical heartstring-tugging emotions a la Hallmark Channel productions, but “The Ballad of Wallis Island” serves up more, giving audiences a lot to ponder beyond whether the often-predictable outcomes often associated with releases in this genre will ultimately materialize. This is a great, if not entirely standard, date movie, one that’s sure to leave viewers with their own share of fond memories, even if they aren’t necessarily the kind one might expect.

CinemaSerf

“Charlie” (Tim Key) lives in a big house on a small island eagerly anticipating the arrival of his musical hero. That would be “Herb” (Tom Basden) a folk musician whose career has seen better days. To say that the host is effusive and nervous would be understatements as the arrival on the local boat - and short walk through the chilly waters sets an unimpressive and disapproving scene for the musician. Quite quickly, through the constant stream of rhyming couplets, epithets and daft expressions (“We’ve been Dame Judi Drenched” might set the standard), we realise that both of these men have demons and those only worsen for “Herb” when it turns out that “Charlie” has invited his erstwhile singing partner “Nell” (Carey Mulligan) and her new husband to the island too! Yes, on the face of it there’s a lot to cringe about here and after about ten minutes of our verbal drenching from Key I did wonder if this was going to be a shocker, but once it settles down - and it does - and we discover a little more about the characters and what drives them, then it actually proves to be quite an entertaining little feature peppered with a few songs (written by Basden and sung by him and Mulligan) that looks at grief, loneliness and friendship. It doesn’t actually follow the expected pattern either, and in the end I rather fancied the idea of life in a thunder storm on an island where you baked an halibut in an Aga for the best part of a day and washed it down with a jeroboam of wine. It is one of these peculiarly British movies that might not travel so well, but there are a few laugh out loud moments and it’s simplicity is engaging and watchable.

English

“You’re Boiling My Phone”

"Anecdotes" Official Clip

Striking the Right Note: Director James Griffiths on Balancing Humor in Film - 60 Second Film School