The Ballad of Wallis Island Parent Guide

There are fans and there are super fans and there are crazy fans. And then there’s Charles Heath (Tim Key).

Having won the lottery, Charles wants to realize his dream of hearing his favorite musicians live. Since Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) and Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan) quit performing together, Charles can’t simply attend a concert. So, he gets creative, inviting Herb to come play at a small music festival on his remote island.

What Herb doesn’t know is that the music festival will have an audience of one – Charles. Herb is also unaware that Charles has invited Nell to perform along with him. As old emotions and conflicts start to flare, Charles might not get the harmonious weekend he expects.

This plot synopsis could easily be the premise of a horror movie – and Charles is certainly weird enough to be a crazed killer. But as the trailer makes clear, The Ballad of Wallis Island isn’t a slasher flick; it’s an emotional drama. This story is a rumination on grief and loss, on how we get stuck, bogged down by the weight of our sorrows. Herb and Nell carry regrets for choices made, paths taken and then they come up against Charles, who is relying on their presence to help heal his own wounds. Can someone who’s broken help heal the wounds of another broken soul? Or will they simply crack and spread more pain?

The tension in this film is all emotional – there’s no violence or world-shaking crisis. It’s just the story of complicated, hurting people who need to heal and find a way to move on. Luckily, this movie has a cast that’s capable of telling an emotionally resonant story. Tim Key gives us a Charles Heath who’s socially awkward; a compulsive chatterbox so annoying I kept wanting to yell at him to shut the heck up. At the same time, Key imbues the character with vulnerability, hidden pain, and sad-puppy eyes that made me feel guilty for being mad at him. His character has the same effect on Herb McGwyer, who is given a short temper, impatience, deep-seated regrets, and prickly insecurity by Tom Basden. Watching the characters grow over the course of the film is believable and rewarding.

This is a slow-moving film, which is pretty typical for character dramas. It’s also a clean one. No sex, no violence, a bit of swearing and some social drinking give it a PG-13 rating. Not that this is a teen flick - The Ballad of Wallis Island is a story for adults who want to find hope and forgiveness amongst the challenges of life. If you want to spend 99 minutes listening to folk music, gazing at some gorgeous scenery, and watching broken people try to heal, you will enjoy a trip to Wallis Island.