I love films with music woven into the narrative. Of the 45 films I screened during Sundance 2025, “The Ballad of Wallis Island” was my personal favorite.
This film evolved from a short film entitled “The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island.” It won Best UK Short 18 years ago at the 2007 Edinburgh Film Festival. Tim Key and Tom Basden co-wrote the short and expanded it into the feature length version which is directed by James Griffiths.
Basden and Key are well known in the United Kingdom as comedians, actors and writers. In addition to sharing writing credits, they also co-star. Key plays Charlie, an eccentric, super fan of the former singing duo McGwyer Mortimer. Wanting to relive and recreate special memories he shared with his late wife, Charlie concocts a plan to reunite his beloved duo for a concert on the remote island he calls home.
Basden plays Herb McGwyer, the male half of the duo, who assumes he’s been invited for a solo performance. In the decade since the duo broke up, Herb’s solo career has waned, and he’s desperate for a comeback - and the money.
Herb is shocked when Nell Mortimer, his former singing partner and lover, arrives on the island with her husband in tow. Carey Mulligan plays Nell and brings a delightful charm to the role.
A web of emotional dynamics and humorous interactions unfolds. As we learn more about Charlie, we see painful, unresolved grief which has anchored him to a strange and solitary life.
Herb, too, is adrift, struggling with unresolved personal and professional issues, which have kept him from moving forward.
Nell not only adds beautiful harmony to the old songs they sing together but sparks the beginning of a healing process for both men.
The chemistry between the characters is infectious and the music they share with us is a real treat. The audience absolutely loved this film. They honored it with an immediate and sustained standing ovation.
“The Ballad of Wallis Island” is unrated and runs 1 hour and 40 quirky minutes. It has a limited theatrical release in the USA on March 28th.
