The Ballad of Wallis Island: Film Review

The Ballad of Wallis Island beautifully takes on fame, grief, and the passage of time, but the comedy and character work leave something to be desired.

Years have passed since they last sang together, careers have halted, and every interaction between them is tinged with anger and sadness. The film manages to express this dynamic with humor and heart, offering a quietly beautiful yet rocky story about relationships and making art.

As the film opens, Charles has just used some of his extensive wealth to bring his favorite musicians to the island for a reunion concert. Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden, of Plebs) and Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan, of Maestro) were once a folk music duo whose personal and professional relationship splintered after Herb released a solo album. Now, Herb needs money to finance his stagnating career, while Nell has left music entirely.

Herb had higher expectations for this gig. He is beaumused at the guest bedroom with a broken tap that Charles puts him up in, anticipating the luxury hotels of a successful musician, and frankly shocked to learn he’ll be playing to an audience of one. But the most alarming part of the whole situation is when he learns that Nell—and her husband—will be coming as well. Tensions flare immediately as the two contemplate how they feel about each other and their history, and wonder if they are still able to perform together.

“You don’t love me. You love the past. But it’s gone now,” one musician says to the other. Later, Charles opens up about the heartbreaking reason he loves the duo’s music so much. During one scene, the three bond while launching paper lanterns into the sky. It’s in these moments that the film works the best: it truly shines as a treatise on grief and fame and things left unsaid or undone. All the characters are mourning something, whether it’s a person or a stage of life that has come and gone, and all of them have old wounds that are reopened and then explored together. 

Like in many dramedies, there’s a thrill in the moments when the walls come down and we see who these characters really are, the hurt that their jokes conceal, and watch them connect with the unexpected friends they’ve met on their journey. These sad, beautiful scenes are what have stuck with me the most. But the film leans more into the comedy than the drama, and that’s where it stumbles. Because of the emotional weight of its themes, the movie often feels like it’s getting in its own way.

It’s not that heavy topics can’t be expressed through comedy, but in The Ballad of Wallis Island, the emotion feels like it’s in service of the humor, and not the other way around. The humor is the most prominent aspect of the film, so much so that the touching parts feel like they sneak up on you, rather than taking center stage. And while that can work, the film’s voice is distinct, so this emphasis on comedy means viewers who don’t automatically click with it—me included—might be dissuaded. 

While a couple moments are laugh-out-loud funny, a joke about the word “seamen” sounding like a double entendre goes on far too long. The running bit about Charles being unable to stay quiet during serious moments feels reflective of the film overall; its most powerful moments often get cut short so we can return to the two male leads riffing. Similarly, Charles’ wide-eyed excitement at meeting his heroes often gets in the way of the more poignant moments between Herb and Nell. At times, I found myself wishing Charles would just move out of the way. 

When a character does get out of the way, it’s not Charles but Nell, who is oddly sidelined towards the end of the film. She’s also the character we learn the least about, despite her unexpected presence being so important to the plot and Herb’s emotional development. This makes sense given that Basden and Key are longtime creative partners who not only starred in the film but wrote it, adapting it from a short they had worked on back in 2007. Nell was not in the original short, but added as the pair brought the film to feature length. 

That is understandably a creative challenge, but to introduce such an important character—played by such a powerhouse actress—and do so little with her is bound to leave the audience wanting more. There is so much you’re just aching for Herb and Nell to talk about, and the film’s denial of this closure feels less like a statement on the futility of trying to overcome the past and more the unfortunate side effect of trying to incorporate three different complex emotional journeys into an hour and forty minutes. 

This issue extends to the film’s other female character, the only real speaking role outside the main trio. Amanda (Sian Clifford, of Fleabag) is a shop clerk who is shoehorned into being Charles’ love interest by virtue of being one of the only people living on the island. Their interactions can be funny, but unfortunately, Amanda is an example of the all-too-common trope of a largely attributeless woman whose attraction to the male lead is mystifying. 

Despite these stumbles, I ended the film thinking it was quite profound. In Charles’ awkwardness and Herb and Nell’s inability to talk to each other for longer than two minutes, there are questions worth pondering for the inner fan in us all. 

The Ballad of Wallis Island is uneven but ultimately moving. Some jokes may inspire chuckles, others eyerolls. What it lacks in character work it makes up for in its ability to tap into universal emotion. And it’s worth a watch just to see the three actors together—it’s clear they had a rip-roaring time making it, and their chemistry gives the film a vivaciousness the script lacks. Come for the absurd comedy, stay for the emotional punch that may leave you staring into space on the couch as the credits roll.

The Ballad of Wallis Island is now available to watch on digital and on demand.

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