The Ballad of Wallis Island

Loved this movie. The story, the entire cast, directing, everything was almost perfect. This is going to be a movie for the ages and can see watching it many more times.

The Ballad of Wallis Island stands out for its character development, crafting a small, quirky world that rivals the best of British island films like Local Hero and the heartfelt intimacy of John Carney’s work. At its core, the film is driven by the nuanced arcs of its three central figures—Charles, Herb, and Nell—each rendered with uncommon depth and authenticity. Charles (Tim Key), a socially awkward, reclusive lottery winner, is initially defined by his devotion to the past and his late wife. His awkwardness and obsessive fandom create both comedic and poignant moments, but as the story unfolds, Charles’s journey toward healing and openness is handled with subtlety. The film’s closing scenes, where Charles finds the courage to connect with Amanda (Sian Clifford), beautifully encapsulate his gradual embrace of life beyond grief. Herb (Tom Basden), a washed-up folk musician, arrives on the island burdened by creative stagnation and unresolved feelings for his former partner, Nell. Herb’s arc is particularly compelling: he is forced to confront his artistic and emotional inertia when faced with the possibility—and the impossibility—of rekindling both his musical and romantic partnership with Nell. The film resists easy resolutions; instead, Herb’s growth is marked by a bittersweet acceptance and a rediscovery of joy in music on his own terms. Nell (Carey Mulligan) is more than a catalyst; her presence brings warmth and complexity, especially as she navigates her own choices and boundaries. Her interactions with Herb and Charles are layered, culminating in a mature, realistic decision to move forward with her life, leaving both men changed by her honesty and affection. The island itself is a character—its isolation and eccentricities fostering the film’s gentle, offbeat humor and the kind of lived-in, idiosyncratic world that modern Hollywood rarely achieves. Dialogue is sharp, performances are quietly revelatory, and the music, while integral, never overshadows the relationships at the film’s heart. The Ballad of Wallis Island is a rare treat: a film that finds profundity in small moments and real transformation in its characters. It’s a testament to the power of understated storytelling and a reminder of the unique charm found in the best British and Irish "island" films.

Beautiful, funny and touching, loved every second.

Humor with a lyrical cadence and charm. Utterly unique, but — if you’ve ever been lucky enough to love like these characters — resonant.

This movie was made for people who watched a Hallmark movie and thought it was way too intense!!!!

A good movie defiantly worth watching.

Expanding on their own 2007 short film, British comedians/actors/writers Tom Basden and Tim Key's sweet and quirky comedy sees Key's eccentric Charles concocting a plan to reunite his favourite folk duo, McGwyer Mortimer, by offering a bag of money each to Basden's Herb and Carey Mulligan's Nell to play on the remote island he lives on, a set up that can go light or very dark depending on the film's genre. Initially, I find Charles a grating character, like someone you'll want to avoid at a party, as he combines all the worse traits of Alan Partridge and his sidekick Simon, coincidentally also played by Key; but as his backstories are gradually revealed and his character gains layers, you cannot help but feel for him as you come to understand why he's the way he is. Meanwhile, Basden plays the straight man to Key's lonesome neuroses as he confronts some home truths about his breakup with Nell, while strumming out a few beautifully melancholic original love songs. Re-teaming with original short director James Griffiths, they have produced a wonderfully observed and composed film which finds a quintessentially British sense of humour in the most cringing of situations while tugging unashamedly at your heartstrings. Admittedly a sentimental piece, but by switching gear and focus subtly and effectively in its final act, gently sidestepping the generic traditional ending one expects, it becomes instead a less mawkish and genuinely moving character study of a film. Being mostly a two-hander, the female characters can sometimes feel a bit underwritten, and in the case of Akemnji Ndifornyen's Michael, literally dispensed with almost immediately after his introduction, but these are minor quibbles for such a sweet and oddly charming film that's so brimming with heart and compassion, it's impossible not to fall for.

This was sweet. The host is a very loveable character. As is the shop girl. And I enjoyed the music. Setting is lovely.

Nice music. Charming story.

So. I recently thought that 'The Shining' could be a comedy- change the score, bit more Zero Mostel... boom. Already has some elements of. Violence specifically against women has not been approved by my saying this: and I gather Kubrick was horrible to Spacek during. That film teeters on the absurd, already- maybe absurdism rather than comedy, I should say. Here, another Stephen King is in the air - and, a refinement: not 'Misery' - which it even noticed - but 'Awkwardness.' A man is meant to be enjoying retirement, but his wife has died and he knocks about the place... (...the place, which is in astonishingly good nick, as he doesn't appear to have any servants or do any work. Anyway.) Problem 1. In the end, the balance sheet for me lay on the side of odd; not explained away by a dead wife's memory. I know, the Taj Mahal- labours of love can and do work, but still. Tim Key's facial tics, and weirdness is played as bonhomie? but it doesn't come over like that, for me. More. Unfortunately, today, our attention spans are fracked by adverts, which get their point across in microseconds. Here, then, feels almost an Alzheimer's charity advert: the fellow, turns the music on- it fills, his empty home; he even imagines, cavorting with the singers, playing rounders on a beach. The music stops. He's still alone. Why not help him someone. That would follow. This ... You know, Beauty and the Beast is very evocative and far-fetched- or Narnia- in both, we have a shock and trauma, then close off, and (it's always winter). I suppose here, we didn't have a good idea, of what Tim was like, before the depression. More. Comedy is an unsubtle beast? and so, it is- little and large- and then, people communicate in spite of their differences. So, much must be made, of their differences, for this to work. Here, is probably the difference between a lean (sexy) confident man, and a plump, shy man. Now. Personally what I feel, about shyness, is: that a person might be a complete tyrant in their own home... But are inhibited by being among people. That's partly what shyness is. Following that "logic", shyness is not a marker of good moral quality. I guess, going over to someone's house, to play with them, as children... Can be a bit like this, and so, this play/film is the mirror held up... Problem 2. Odd, and unlikely. It felt very thin in parts as premises go. If you had Ginger Rodgers who could tap dance on roller skates or whatever, then you didn't need a great story. Here is different. You are going to be curious about the story. The lonely Laird on a Scottish Isle 'I know where I'm going' does excellently. One example. Problem 3. Finally, then, it has the same problem Wagner's Die MeisterSinger does, in that - you say *this* is brilliant music. Well then it'd better be obvious that it is. -Knives out 2 but the millionaire's a bit shabby, and there's no mystery. -The fifth element, but Gary Oldman learns the guitar. and there's no sci-fi. -Better bets: the episode of ... (recent) series of Beyond Paradise, where the mother goes missing from the trawler. Or A Mighty Wind. PS. I take the point about the pay-phone- how many mobile numbers have you committed to memory, huh?