'The Ballad Of Wallis Island' A Review

The Ballad of Wallis Island is a dramedy about a widower Charles(Tim Key) who brings out a famous folk duo who have been broken up for years, Herb(Tom Basden) and Nell(Carey Mulligan), to the remote island where he lives to play a private concert.

Key explodes on screen brining his delightful banter and positive energy to the character with a large helping of idiosyncrasy and pathos to the affable but grief stricken Charles. It's pretty astounding what he's able to do and, one hopes, bodes well for more meaty acting roles in his future. Mulligan is perfectly cast and brings her immediacy and poignancy to this(for her) more light hearted role. She's one of those actors that just has a knack for being there, for being present and authentic, and this serves the film well. Her nature presence just anchors the action and whenever she's onscreen you are comfortable. Basden can't quite get to the level of either of his co-stars, he's good no question, but his character has more of a formulaic arc and there are points where he kind of flails(sometimes this works) and his transformation, especially contrasted with Key's, feels a bit over worked.

Visually the film is picturesque, shot on location(or an excellent equivalent), it's evocative. The only misstep is a kind of bizarre and unnecessary scene with CG paper balloons. The music, mostly diegetic, is wonderful and effective although there's not enough of it. Particularly not enough of Mulligan and Basden performing together, this is deliberate for narrative purpose, but it is a disappointment as the brief glimpses we see are really spectacular.

Sincere, simple, funny, occasionally moving and briefly cathartic. A triumph for modern 'adult' cinema.

Currently in theaters.

See It.