Released by Focus Features on April 4, 2025, The Ballad of Wallis Island is a warm, witty, and wonderfully human British comedy that tugs gently at the heartstrings while making you laugh through its melancholy. Directed by James Griffiths, and based on a 2007 BAFTA-nominated short, this 100-minute feature stars Tom Basden, Carey Mulligan, and Tim Key, who also co-wrote the screenplay. This 2025 film follows a washed-up folk musician, his estranged former partner, and a cheerful, eccentric millionaire who lures them to a remote island under the guise of a concert. But this isn’t a rom-com or a satire—it’s a deeply moving, hilariously awkward character piece about grief, creative burnout, and the redemptive power of music. In this movie review, we explore why The Ballad of Wallis Island is one of the most disarmingly beautiful films of the year.
Genre:Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance
A Folk Concert for One, But a Story for All
Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden), once half of the folk duo McGwyer Mortimer, is now a solo pop artist clawing at relevance. Broke and bitter, he reluctantly accepts a £500,000 gig on the remote Wallis Island, arranged by superfan Charles Heath (Tim Key), a chatty, endlessly punning widower who won the lottery—twice. But the catch: the concert is only for Charles. The bigger surprise? Charles also invited Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan), Herb’s ex-bandmate and ex-girlfriend, who shows up with her new husband in tow.
What unfolds is a comedic and emotional tapestry woven from old wounds, miscommunications, wistful melodies, and the strange rituals of a secluded island community. What starts as an absurd reunion grows into something honest and rich in feeling, all playing out under cloudy Welsh skies and within the creaky, memory-filled walls of Charles’s home.
Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan Find Bittersweet Harmony
Basden’s Herb is the very image of a creatively spent man: irritable, soaked by sea spray, weighed down by regret, and clinging to what’s left of his ego. He gives a performance full of quiet self-loathing, with occasional bursts of delusion that tip into genuine pathos. It’s not a showy role, but it’s textured and quietly brilliant—especially when Herb begins to rediscover the joy of singing with Nell.
Carey Mulligan, as Nell, is radiant in a way we don’t often get to see. Her character has moved on from the music world, selling homemade chutney at farmers' markets in Portland, Oregon, and navigating life with a calm that contrasts Herb’s frayed nerves. Mulligan infuses Nell with clarity and compassion, without ever losing the acidic edge of someone who’s already had this argument too many times. Their chemistry, forged in creative pain and nostalgic affection, never feels forced.
Tim Key Steals the Film with Comedic and Emotional Depth
Charles is the soul of the movie. Played with unfailing charm and surprising emotional depth by Tim Key, he’s a man who copes with loss through joy, distraction, and a relentless stream of puns. He’s not deluded—he’s hopeful. Underneath the motor-mouthed exterior lies a tender heart still mourning his wife, Marie, and yearning to rekindle something beautiful through the music she loved.
What makes Charles such a standout character is how easily he could have become a caricature. Instead, he’s given real shading. He’s lonely, yes—but also full of wonder, capable of orchestrating this deeply weird reunion not out of vanity, but love. And while his generosity borders on foolishness, there’s something profoundly moving in how he seeks connection in the echoes of other people’s harmonies.
A Story of Melancholy, Memory, and Music
Beneath the quirky setup and snappy dialogue lies a deeply sincere story about people frozen in different stages of grief and longing. Herb wants to recreate the past. Nell wants to leave it behind. Charles wants to bring it all back to life, just for one night. The tension among these desires gives the film its emotional rhythm.
And the music—the original folk songs, composed by Basden—resonates as more than just background or nostalgia bait. These songs carry memory and emotion, shared history and private sorrow. When Herb and Nell play together, it’s like a wound reopening—and healing—in the same breath. Their melodies are more than pretty tunes; they are unfinished conversations, attempts to say what couldn't be said before.
Charm Without Cynicism, Humor Without Cruelty
One of the film’s most remarkable qualities is its complete lack of malice. The Ballad of Wallis Island is packed with awkward moments, dry British humor, and characters at their most exposed—but it never mocks them. Instead, it embraces their humanity. From Charles’s rambling fridge tours to Herb’s soggy tantrums, the film allows every joke to grow from empathy, not condescension.
Director James Griffiths captures this balance with gentle precision. There’s warmth in the way the camera lingers on small gestures—a gaze across a table, a half-finished sentence, the glint of recognition between ex-lovers. The cinematography by G. Magni Ágústsson and production design by Alexandra Toomey imbue the island with soft magic: windswept beaches, cluttered kitchens, fogged-up windows. It feels lived-in and loved.
A Quirky Yet Universally Resonant Crowd-Pleaser
While the premise may seem niche—a one-man concert on an island for a grieving fan—its emotional truths are universal. Regret, nostalgia, the ache of unfinished relationships, the comfort of music that reminds you who you were: these are feelings everyone has brushed up against. And The Ballad of Wallis Island gives them voice with humor and grace.
Like Once or Juliet, Naked, this is a film about how art can be a lifeline—between people, across time, and within ourselves. It doesn’t try to “fix” its characters, or wrap everything in a neat bow. But it does leave space for understanding, healing, and even joy. That it manages to do so without ever feeling cloying or manipulative is a testament to the sensitivity of the writing and the sincerity of its performances.
Final Verdict – The Loveliest Surprise of the Year
The Ballad of Wallis Island is a film of small scale and enormous heart. It’s about music, memory, second chances, and the bittersweet truth that not everything broken can—or should—be mended. But for one strange and wonderful weekend on a foggy Welsh island, something close to magic happens between three unlikely friends.
With impeccable performances from Basden, Mulligan, and Key, this soulful 2025 movie is easily one of the year’s most affecting surprises. It reminds us that sometimes the grandest gestures come from the most humble places—and that a song, sung simply and honestly, can say what words never quite can.
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)