An unusual concert opportunity leads a struggling folk rock singer to yearn for his glory days in this Sundance hit.
Tom Basden and Tim Key are two British actors who first met in the four-person Cowards comedy troupe, which went on to create radio and TV series of their sketches from 2004 to 2009. On the side, however, Basden and Key made the short film The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island with aspirations of expanding it into a feature film. Their desires would finally come to fruition eighteen years later with the help of director James Griffiths and co-star/executive producer Carey Mulligan, and The Ballad of Wallis Island had a successful premiere at the Sundance Film Festival that was ultimately well-deserved, because the film is a wholesome and humorous comedy as well as an affecting story with compelling character arcs.
The film sees folk singer Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) washing onto the shore of the titular but fictional isle with the intent of playing a concert put on by one of the island’s only residents, eccentric billionaire Charles Heath (Tim Key), who is also sheltering Herb for the duration of his stay. Little does the struggling artist realize, however, that not only is Charles the lone person for whom he is meant to perform, but his audience of one also invited Herb’s own ex-girlfriend and ex-performance partner Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan) to put the show on with him in their superfan’s attempt to get their old musical act of McGwyer Mortimer back together.
As the host for his favorite band, Charles tries to keep all his guests happy to be there, while also working up the courage to ask shopkeeper Amanda (Sian Clifford) out to their upcoming show. But on the duo’s first night under the same roof in many years, the tension that split them up in the first place resumes like their relationship had never ended, even with Nell’s husband Michael (Akemnji Ndifornyen) in their presence, although those quickly give way to old feelings of affection bubbling under the surface. Will the two act on their emotions and risk destroying their new lives, or will tensions rear their ugly head and ruin Charles’ hopes and dreams?
The Ballad of Wallis Island is a breakthrough moment for the duo of Basden and Key in their first feature film, and they rise to the occasion through equally stellar performances. Tim Key’s comedic timing allows for the bizarre references and kindhearted nicknames that Charles hurls toward Herb to land for maximum hilarity, while his facial expressions add a level of endearment and sympathy when he feels like he’s disappointed his idol. Meanwhile, Tom Basden carries the film’s dramatic weight with nuanced work of his own, and solid chemistry with Carey Mulligan whether Herb and Nell are arguing, or practicing their songs together during intimate moments.
Basden and Key also collaborated on the script for The Ballad of Wallis Island, and their efforts inject the feature-length version of their short story with a dry sense of humor. Not only is Charles’ peculiarly overbearing gentleness hilarious on paper through verbal barbs, it also comes across as funny through grounded situational humor, such as a recurring scenario that sees Herb’s phone meet a terrible fate that calls for rice when there isn’t any for miles. But amongst the witty levity are fascinating character arcs; Herb arrives on the island for a payday at first only to go on a path toward taking responsibility for his current place in life, while Charles yearns to make a lifelong wish come true, and feel ready to move forward in his own life.
Through his direction, James Griffiths succeeds in making Wallis Island itself is a character of its own movie, one that isolates Charles in his own loneliness and ensnares Herb in his own nostalgia for better days with Nell in panoramic wide shots that show off the drab, gray coasts of the remote atoll and several stacks of pebbles Charles made along the coast in a visual manifestation of his efforts to stave off boredom. And the film’s soundtrack, also written by Basden and Key themselves, adds more depth to all the main players with lyrics which conjure beautiful imagery further complemented by lovely acoustic instrumentation.
As compelling a film that The Ballad of Wallis Island is, it does lose steam after a particular development in the second half of the film, and what doesn’t help that matter is how the husband character of Michael isn’t given much to do over the film’s runtime to the point where he even feels forgotten about in the writing process. It’s also worth noting that while Tim Key’s eccentric quips and nicknames he is quick to give Herb are funny, there’s often too many happening in the span of a minute, making a select few jokes easy to miss.
But despite those issues, The Ballad of Wallis Island is a tight and thoughtful as well as wholesome and humorous feature length debut for Basden and Key further driven by Griffiths’ commitment to honest realism, and touching performances from everyone involved. Audiences will laugh consistently at Charles’ weird but kindhearted mannerisms, be endeared by Charles’ quirky charm and well-written dynamic with Herb, immerse themselves in the latter’s emotional journey toward acceptance for the film’s runtime, and swoon over the delicacy of the minimal but otherwise powerful folk rock soundtrack. It’s got something to which everyone can relate, and that’s why audiences everywhere should try to discover The Ballad of Wallis Island.