The Ballad of Wallis Island Review
8/10
My apologies for not posting a review for so long. This is the first new film I’ve seen in quite a while. When I am in a creative/work headspace, it can be difficult for me to step back from that enough to process a genuinely good film. I have been developing a project for a while that has taken up most of my time. I will reveal on here what that project is. The Ballad of Wallis Island is exactly the kind of film I wanted to see. Not only does it relate to the creative process, but the film is cozy and pleasant without being superficial.
Wallis Island was directed by James Griffiths and co-written by two of the film’s stars, Tim Key and Tom Basden. I was familiar with Tim Key as a poet and comedian who has appeared on numerous British comedy panel shows. He has a wonderful sense of whimsy and fun whenever I see him on those shows, so I was looking forward to seeing what he would bring to this film. Key plays Charles, a lonely man living on the remote Wallis Island. When the film starts, we see a musician, Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden), arriving on a rickety boat to the island to play a private gig for Charles. Herb was one half of a famous folk duo that Charles adores, McGwyer Mortimer. Of course, Herb is not aware that he will only be playing for the super fan Charles. Herb just thinks this is an intimate gig for a select group of people.
From the start, Wallis Island has a magical sense of place. I love whenever a film can make me feel immersed in a world that is completely different from my own. I sometimes wonder if I could live in a place like that. Somewhere far away and remote, with very few of the amenities and conveniences that I take for granted. I think I would enjoy it for a time, but the loneliness would get to me after a while.
It’s easy to tell that the isolation of Charles’ surroundings has shaped who he is. I didn’t immediately warm up to him as a person. Charles is rarely silent. He fills the air with inane chatter and quips. Most of which are not especially funny. This is understandable since he rarely talks to anybody. One of the few people he consistently converses with is a local shop owner, Amanda (Sian Clifford). These interactions are endearingly awkward since Charles has a fondness for her that he does not know how to pursue.
Herb is immediately wary of Charles and the island. He is a stoic and quiet man who deals with his repressed demons by not addressing them and saying very little. Charles, on the other hand, deals with his issues by talking constantly. Their dynamic is fun to watch, though they can grow grating when it is just the two men trying to figure each other out. Thankfully, a couple of new characters are introduced, Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Michael (Akemnji Ndifornyen). Nell was the other half of the folk duo opposite Herb. He was not aware that Charles had invited her and it’s clear to see that this surprise has brought up a painful past for him.
The duo broke up long ago after Herb put out a solo record separate from Nell. She retired from the music business and is polite to him, but there is a simmering tension beneath the surface that neither want to address. The spell of Wallis Island conjures the longing that both have felt for each other, which has not gone away despite their work relationship being over. The best moments of the film are when we see the flashes of the love Nell and Herb had for each other. Both are trying to move on with their lives and careers, but neither can completely forget the feelings they had for each other when the music was at its peak. Unlike Herb, Nell likes Charles and talks to him in a friendly way. She gets him to open up about his life and reveal more of his feelings.
Fandom is a peculiar phenomenon. It always had the risk of falling into unhealthy obsession, yet I feel like with social media there is the tendency for fans to take the dangerous path to a parasocial relationship with an artist they love. I have been privileged to meet a few people whose work I admire and thankfully most of those interactions have been worthwhile. I am not naive enough to think that I actually know these people. There will always be a distance and disconnect between a fan and the artist they admire.
To be honest, I have always been uncomfortable around rabid fandom in groups. There are many people whose work I adore, but the idea of gathering in a group dedicated to obsessing over somebody’s music, films, books, etc., sounds like a thoroughly off-putting experience. My relationship with the art I love is a personal one that I only share with people I know. I think that is why Charles as a character was a bit grating for me at first. As the film went on, I found him more likeable and sweeter once I understood who he was beneath his prattle.
Nell’s husband Michael felt unnecessary to the story. His only reason to be there is to introduce tension to the dynamic between Nell and Herb. Michael is a lovely fellow and Akemnji Ndifornyen plays him exceptionally well, but all he really does is talk about birds, take the occasional jab at Herb, and then buggers off to go bird watching. The only reason he vanishes from the story in that contrived way is to give Herb and Nell their alone time. It would have been better if Nell came to the island alone and it would have given us more time with Herb and Nell.
All the performances are wonderful. Tim Key is delightful as Charles, Tom Basden brings soul and repressed anguish to Herb, and Carey Mulligan is always brilliant. Wallis Island is not a mind-blowing film. Most of the ideas and story beats have been done in numerous other stories. What makes film so engrossing is the warmth and vulnerability of it all. Everybody has their flaws and past traumas, and they deal with them however they feel able to. It’s about dredging up the past in order to deal with the realities of the present. I highly recommend it.
