Getting away and finding yourself on a distant island sounds nice now and is a fun way for audiences to enjoy a lovely time at the movies. Set along the scenic and cozy Welsh shores, James Griffiths’s Sundance and SXSW film festival crow pleaser The Ballad of Wallis Island is a cinematic palette cleanser and the perfect escape from chaotic current events in a world gone mad. Tim Key, Tom Basden, and Carey Mulligan star in the music-centered comedy-drama filled with familiar rhythms that are nearly impossible to hate, with a tone that is always quirky and very genuine.
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Charles (Tim Key) is an eccentric lottery winner who lives on a tiny island enjoying a peaceful life. He aims to reunite with his favorite musician, McGwyer Mortimer (Basden & Mulligan), for a private concert. He’s so proud of his winnings that he displays the winning numbers on the mantle, which is a nice touch to show off his luck. Basden’s self-reflection on his life and musical collection makes this feel like a fish out of the water as he ponders restarting his career. The use of solemn and melancholy songs sets a tone of love lost and a life of regret. (“You live in the past…it is time to grow up,” Mulligan says to Basden during dinner.) Grappling with the aftermath of a failed relationship can be tough…but it also has funny moments.
The Ballad of Wallis Island is constantly humorous, lovely, tonally cheeky, and delightfully charming, enough for it to be an ideal in-flight movie for more sophisticated audiences (think more for the global United Airlines). My audience enjoyed every moment and really connected with the story. It fits nicely in the same family as John Carney’s musically inclined, feel-good filmography. I smiled and had a breezing walk home in the snow, reflecting on the pleasant experience. It will lift your spirits in a world that fights to bring them down.
The Ballad of Wallis Island is now playing in limited release.
