Sometimes a movie blows you away, and sometimes a movie just comes in and scratches the right itch. The Ballad of Wallis Island is a perfect example of the latter, a film that doesn't break any new ground but does the little things very well to deliver something that simply makes you feel good. The film debuted at Sundance this year as one of the films I heard the most about, and I'm glad I finally got the chance to check it out as it truly feels like a warm hug.
The Ballad of Wallis Island is directed by James Griffiths and is based on his own 2007 short film The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island. Reprising their roles form the short are Tom Basden as Herb, a former member of a popular folk/rock duo now struggling to reach the same heights as a solo act, and Tim Key as Charles, a lonely but incredibly sweet man who won the lottery and is paying his favourite musician, Herb, to perform a private gig. Herb is immediately thrown off by the remote Wallis Island and his eccentric hosts, but tensions are made greater when it is revealed that his former collaborator Nell (Carey Mulligan) was also hired to perform.
If you need something fresh and exciting this isn't going to be for you. Narratively it's fairly predictable, to the point where I knew almost exactly what the final shot was going to be. When everything is done well though, predictability isn't too much of a hinderance, and this is one of those cases. It's a film that just knows how to perfectly tug at your heartstrings, pulling you in with its quirky sense of comedy while nodding at the more serious elements lingering under the surface. Charles is a perfect example of this, as his eccentricity and upbeat attitude mask the sadness his character is always trying to get past throughout the film, making his a performance that makes you laugh but also just makes you want to give him a hug. Herb also has an underlying sadness, most of it coming from the loss of his relationship with Nell, but while Charles masks his sadness with positivity, Herb does so with a 'cool musician' attitude.
The dynamic between these two, the goofy and the stoic, is made even more interesting when Nell enters the fold. She acts largely as a middle man between them, and Carey Mulligan delivers a performance that I think is more interesting than it appears on the surface. Nell is no longer making music, as opposed to Herb, and her life isn't necessarily going to plan, but she's okay with that. Despite being in arguably the worst spot of the three, especially financially, Mulligan portrays a character who has found love and contentment, and looks forward rather than lingering in the past. Beside two male characters tied down by their pasts, she's a breath of fresh island air that I think shows each of them that they can move forward.
Even if you take away the character depth, this is a fun story of a heartwarming man melting the cold heart of a grumpy musician, the kind of story that won't necessarily break new ground but will almost always make you feel good. The lovely folk music and quaint island setting add to making this one of the coziest films of the year, and with the touching story at its core this is one that truly just feels like a warm hug. You'll fall in love with these characters very easily if you give this one a chance, so throw it on and let it swoon you for an hour forty minutes. 4/5
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