A heartfelt folk tune in film form

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, April 4th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

Later this afternoon on The World and Everything in It feed, we’re releasing an interview with Cam Lee Small. He’s the counselor we interviewed earlier this week in our story about Korean adoptions. He’s written a book about adoption grief and trauma, and we talk to him more about how Christians–adopted or not– view and talk about adoption. Here’s an excerpt:

CAM LEE SMALL: You know, imagine there's an adoptee right now feeling curious, or layers of lament or sorrow or grief, and that can be included in the conversation. It can be included in the way that we pray for one another, carry one another's burdens, and even create resources, because if we don't include that in the in the range of what it means to be relinquished and placed into the care of another, if we don't include that in there, then we can't develop person-specific, God-honoring resources to speak to and walk with that individual.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: a new British movie explores regret and moving forward, and makes use of plenty of awkward humor.

EICHER: The movie premieres in select theaters this weekend.

It casts an eccentric millionaire who invites estranged bandmates to reunite for a private—and very personal—concert.

WORLD arts and culture editor Collin Garbarino on The Ballad of Wallis Island.

COLLIN GARBARINO: I’ve seen about two-dozen films this year, and so far, I think The Ballad of Wallis Island might be my favorite. It’s 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. It also features some nice acoustic music.

MUSIC: [Herb and Nell singing]

This movie revolves around an affable lottery winner named Charlie. He’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 bit of a challenge.

NELL: Oh wait. I thought you didn’t want to do that one.

HERB: Well, I mean, he requested it.

The Ballad of Wallis Island is the brainchild of British comedians Tim Key and Tom Basden. They wrote the script, and they also play the roles of Charlie and Herb respectively. Carey Mulligan rounds out the main cast as Nell.

Fans of awkward British humor will enjoy this movie. Charlie brings a good-natured absurdity to the story. He’s friendly to a fault. He’s a bit too talkative. And he often fails to pick up on important social cues. But his open honesty leaves you wishing there were more people like him in the world.

Next to Charlie, Herb plays the straight man, trying to navigate an unexpected situation without losing his patience.

HERB: This isn’t where the gig is.

CHARLIE: Well, you’re half right. This is where the gig is.

HERB: Where will the audience be?

Herb serves as a sort of emotional stand-in for the audience. He’s the one who can’t believe that he’s gotten himself into this wacky situation.

HERB: You said there would be a hundred.

CHARLIE: No. No, no, no, no, no.

HERB: Well, yeah, you did.

CHARLIE: Fair is fair. I did not say there would be a hundred.

HERB: Yeah, you did.

CHARLIE: No, I didn’t. I said there would be less than a hundred.

Herb also ends up being the character who’s most transformed by coming into contact with irrepressible Charlie.

The Ballad of Wallis Island 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 their own. And some people don’t even know what they really need.

HERB: Is that true?

NELL: Yeah, 100 percent.

[Crosstalk]

CHARLIE: This is brilliant. I’m loving this. I’m absolutely loving this.

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 the duo went their separate ways, he 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.

MUSIC: [Herb and Nell singing together]

The Ballad of Wallis Island is rated PG-13 for some infrequent foul language and smoking, but I would say it’s a pretty mild PG-13. The dialogue is oh so clever, and the writing doesn’t resort to crudites in its punchlines. Seeing Key and Basden play off one another is a joy. And the movie, which was filmed in Wales, features gorgeous cinematography that perfectly captures the damp green countryside.

HERB: Morning Haze… as an album…

NELL: [Crosstalk] No… What I mean is that is the first time you could see where we were going.

HERB: No.

In addition to its many charms, one of the reasons this movie resonates with me is that I have the same dream Charlie does. I wish I could see my favorite folk duo play together one last time. I’m still heartbroken that The Civil Wars broke up 13 years ago due to “internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition.”

But besides offering the bitter-sweet melancholy of retreading past joys and regrets, The Ballad of Wallis Island also depicts the kind of relationship that’s becoming increasingly rare in films. The movie industry hasn’t had a great track record lately 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.

I’m Collin Garbarino.

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