The Ballad of Wallis Island

Rated PG-13 • Theaters

The Ballad of Wallis Island is a beautiful, quirky little movie that proves to be a little bit funny, a little bit sad, and a little bit sweet, all at the same time.

This story revolves around an affable lottery winner named Charlie who’s living by himself on an exceedingly rustic island off the coast of Britain. To enliven his lonely existence, Charlie decides to use some of his money to lure his favorite folk duo, McGwyer Mortimer, into performing a private concert just for him. The problem is that 10 years ago Herb McGwyer and Nell Mortimer broke up—both musically and romantically—so getting them to play along proves to be a challenge.

The Ballad of Wallis Island is the brainchild of British comedians Tim Key and Tom Basden. The idea began as a short film called The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, which won an award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2007.

For both the short and this feature film, Key and Basden wrote the script, and they also play the roles of Charlie and Herb respectively. Basden even wrote an entire album’s worth of folk music for the film’s soundtrack, which is quite good. Carey Mulligan, wife of Mumford & Sons front man Marcus Mumford, rounds out the main cast as Nell. The trio create some awkwardly humorous moments.

Charlie brings a good-natured absurdity to the story. He’s friendly to a fault and too talkative, often failing to pick up on important social cues. But his open honesty leaves you wishing there were more people like him in the world. Herb, who serves as a sort of emotional stand-in for the audience, plays the straight man, trying to navigate an unexpected and uncomfortable situation without losing his patience.

This movie isn’t merely a series of comedic gags built on misaligned expectations. As we get to know these characters, we start to feel sympathy, and even pity, for each of them. Everyone on the island needs something, but no one can quite get it on his own. And some don’t even know what they really need.

The eccentric Charlie might be the one living alone, consumed with thoughts of a lost love, but it’s the cool musician Herb who needs the most help. After Herb and Nell went their separate ways, Herb had plenty of worldly success as a solo musician. But there’s a sense that he’s wrestling with aching regret. Seeing that Nell has moved on with her life doesn’t make things easier for him.

The Ballad of Wallis Island is rated PG-13 for some infrequent foul language and smoking, but it’s a pretty mild PG-13. The dialogue is clever, and the writing doesn’t resort to crudities in its punch lines. Key and Basden’s banter is a joy to watch. And the movie, filmed in Wales, features gorgeous cinematography of a damp green countryside that captures feelings of both isolation and hope.

The Ballad of Wallis Island offers the bittersweet melancholy of retreading past joys and regrets, but it also depicts the kind of relationship that’s becoming increasingly rare in films. Lately the movie industry hasn’t had a great track record of depicting male friendships that are founded on something other than dispensing violence. This story suggests that the kind of unconditional love formed in the bonds of friendship can help us understand who we are and who we need to be.