An eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island tries to make his fantasies come true by getting his favorite musicians to perform at his home.
Chuck says:
I’m sure we’ve all indulged ourselves in the fantasy of what we’d do if we won the lottery. It’s a relatively harmless bit of daydreaming, something to get us through the day. Dream homes are imagined, and satisfaction is felt due to the thought of benevolent acts we’d commit, while flights of fancy occur about indulgent purchases to be made. Though I am way past my dating days, asking a potential partner what they’d do were an unexpected largess fall in their laps could be an early indicator as to if they are a potential match or not.
As for Charlie Heath (Tim Key) – a two-time lottery winner – he’s used his fortune to buy an isolated home on a remote island. However, his most seemingly frivolous purchase is hiring folk singer Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) for a private concert. Eager for a big pay day, the musician agrees to this unique gig but there’s a couple of things he doesn’t know. First, he will be playing for an audience of one – Charlie. The other is that his former musical partner and lover, Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan), will be joining him. Sparks- not the good kind – are likely to fly.
“The Ballad of Wallis Island” is a film about the things we hold onto long after we should put them aside. Based on a short film by Basden and Key, who wrote the script, this subtle examination of grief is buoyed by its gentle humor, the pair having a wonderfully awkward, comedic chemistry. The laughs are occasionally broad but for the most part, what the viewer will likely find themselves smiling at are moments of recognition, acknowledgement that we too have acted as foolishly as those on screen.
While Charlie puts on a happy face, he’s lugging around a great deal of pain. Never having recovered from wife’s death, he’s sponsoring this incredibly small concert in her memory. Both fans of McGwyer and Mortimer during their heyday, their music is one of the remaining connections he has with his former partner. Whether this is to help him heal or continue to wallow in his grief remains to be seen.
As for Herb, he too is stuck, having yet to recover from Mortimer’s departure. Not only did it send him into a tailspin emotionally, but he’s been adrift musically as well. Having not seen her in more than a decade, he’s uncertain how he’ll react, though he desperately hopes a reconciliation is possible. Even when she arrives with her husband, Michael (Akemnji Ndifornyen), that still doesn’t dash his hopes. That Nell has moved on is no surprise.
Director James Griffiths brings an easy-going sensibility to the story that holds it in good stead. Though the matters the three principals are dealing with are of grave importance to each, they’re presented as simply, unfortunate parts of life. These issues need to be dealt with if they are to have any sense of fulfillment during their remaining days, the two men at a fork in their respective paths.
It comes as no surprise that the source of much of their healing comes from the music, they both cherish. The intimate concert that ultimately takes place serves as a reminder to both of not only why they cherish these songs but of their meaning as well, which has been obscured by familiarity. This is the medicine each desperately needs, the tunes acting as a mirror, the reflections provided alerting each to the healing needing to be done.
Therapeutic and genuine, “The Ballad of Wallis Island” is the sort of modest movie that creeps up on you. Feinting with its comedic leads, it winds up delivering a profound lesson as to the healing nature of art and the need for honest self-evaluation. Often, the answer to our woes are right in front of us, if we only take the time to look.
3 1/2 Stars
