‘The Ballad Of Wallis Island’: Sundance Review

Dir: James Griffiths. UK. 2025. 100 mins.

 Eccentric British humour and pathos lift their voices in gentle harmony in James Griffiths’ heartwarming comic crowd-pleaser that indicates no man is an island - even if he lives on one. He and writers/co-stars Tom Basden and Tim Key find the sweet spot between silliness and sentimentality while adding a dash of John Carney-style musical wistfulness to their tale of connection and moving on.

Audiences will expect to laugh, but may be surprised to find themselves shedding a tear or two as well

After premiering at Sundance, Focus Features will release the Baby Cow-produced film in the US on March 28, with a UK release from Universal to follow, although a date has not yet been set. Good word of mouth and the presence of Carey Mulligan in a supporting role should help it to attract attention.

The fictional setting previously appeared in the director and writers’ 2007 BAFTA-nominated short The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, which they use as a jumping off point for their feature. It lies somewhere off the UK, though never geographically specified, and it’s where folk musician Herb McGwyer (Basden), is heading by rowing boat to play a gig.

On arrival, things are not as he expects. Rather than pulling into a dock, he’s greeted by Charles (Key), an overexcited middle-aged man clutching a small whiteboard declaring, “Welcome, Herb!!”, who tells him that he’ll have to wade to the beach.

Charles has an affable British awkwardness that displays itself via nervous chatter. When Herb inevitably falls in the sea, for example, Charles declares: “You’re Dame Judi Drenched!” If that pun doesn’t make you laugh, you won’t need to wait too long for the next one. Charles has a steady stream coming and quickly establishes himself as part of a fine lineage of eccentric character creations that includes the likes of Alan Partridge, David Brent and oddball inventor Brian from 2022 Sundance alumni Brian And Charles. Fans of Partridge may also recognise Key from his turn as Sidekick Simon alongside Steve Coogan in TV’s Mid Morning Matters. (Coogan heads Baby Cow, which produced this.)

Once on dry land, Charles takes Herb to his house high above the beach, where he lives alone. It turns out that he is the musician’s number one fan and, thanks to a windfall, has hired him to play a personal gig. The only snag for Herb is that Charles has also hired his former singing partner - and ex-lover - Nell Mortimer (Mulligan) to play too. When she arrives with her husband Michael (Akemnji Ndifornyen), the musical magic is still there but old issues also bubble up. All the while, Key lets an air of quiet desperation build around his character, so we can see how anything that might stop the gig taking place would be devastating to him.

While the script is uniformly strong, a liberty or two is taken with the plot, not least the way that Michael is conveniently removed from the equation at an early stage. The local shopkeeper Amanda (Sian Clifford) is also underwritten compared to everyone else, although she does get a share of good one-liners.

The humour is unabashedly British - from Charles giving Herb a bag of pickled onion flavour Monster Munch as a rider, to his pronunciation of a ploughman’s lunch as “a pluffmans”. Beyond the dialogue, the songs sung by the duo - written by Basden - are charmingly folksy if not especially memorable although it’s really the lyrics that count. There are also plenty of sight gags. There’s a running joke about a running tap, for example, and it’s testimony to Griffiths ability to visually shift the mood that even it takes on a poignant air at one point. G Magni Agustsson’s camerawork brings a honeyed glow to night-time scenes involving music, which acts as a nice counterpoint to the use of natural daylight when dialogue is emphasised.

Subtle shifts are evident right through Wallis Island, as comedy stops sentiment in its tracks, but it also makes the moments of pathos stand out in relief. While audiences will probably expect to laugh, they may be surprised to find themselves shedding a tear or two as well.