Old tensions resurface when former bandmates reunite for a private show at the island home of an eccentric millionaire. A film by James Griffiths, starring Tom Basden, Tim Key, Sian Clifford, Akemnji Ndifornyen, and Carey Mulligan.
The Ballad of WALLIS ISLAND
James Griffiths
(2025)
Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden), formerly half of the disbanded folk duo McGwyer Mortimer, arrives on Wallis Island after Charles Heath (Tim Key) contracts through McGwyer’s agent for a concert performance. When McGwyer arrives, he discovers that Willis Lodge, where he’s supposed to stay during rehearsals, is actually Charles’s own house.
At Charles’s house, Herb is startled when Charles shows him a suitcase containing £500,000 in cash. Charles hands Herb a £50 note as a deposit, promising the rest upon completion of the gig.
While Herb accompanies Charles to the shop where Charles has ordered a hog, hoping to get rice for his phone that fell into the sea, Charles pries into the real reason McGwyer Mortimer broke up. Herb brushes him off, saying he’s a private person and doesn’t want to discuss it. But Charles persists, pointing out that different sources tell different stories about whether she dumped him or he dumped her, so it would be better to hear it straight from Herb. Eventually, Herb tells Charles it was a mutual decision.
On their way back, Herb stops by the venue at the rocky beach where he’ll perform, despite Charles saying it’s not finished yet. After a quick look around, Herb realizes the venue is much smaller than he imagined, with a makeshift stage built from wooden pallets. Confused, Herb asks how Charles plans to sell enough tickets to cover his fee since there’s no way a hundred people could fit in the space.
When Charles finally admits he’s the only audience member, Herb becomes upset, assuming Charles must be an oil tycoon or wealthy corporate banker, the type of person he despises and has vowed never to play private gigs for. Herb pressures Charles about what he does for work. Charles reveals he was a male nurse who’s now retired. But something doesn’t add up, since that doesn’t explain where Charles got the money to hire him for such an expensive private performance.
Back at the house, Charles brings Herb inside and shows him a lottery ticket he won. He explains that he spent the money traveling the world until it ran out. Confused, Herb asks how Charles can be a millionaire now if the money’s gone. Charles casually leads him to another ticket, explaining that he played again and won again. This time, he decided to save the money and bought the house.
The next day, Herb is shocked to discover that Charles has also invited his former bandmate Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Michael (Akemnji Ndifornyen) to the island. Herb becomes upset, feeling that Charles has blindsided him by inviting Nell without warning, especially since this is the first time he’s learned that Nell is married.
While walking to Wallis Lodge, Herb begins acting strangely, complaining to Nell that Charles wants them to play the old material. Herb seems uncomfortable with this and tells Nell he’s thinking of declining Charles’s request. He asks Nell if she also feels their old songs are somehow off-limits. Nell responds that she figured Charles would want their back catalogue since that’s why he hired them both, and it’s his party after all. She has no problem singing their old songs and asks why it would be a problem for Herb. Noticing his odd behavior, Nell asks if he knew she was coming.
That evening, the McGwyer Mortimer reunion turns into a heated argument after Nell discovers that Charles is paying Herb £200,000 more than her. Although Herb claims it wasn’t his decision but his manager’s, he also points out that he’s still writing songs and making albums as an artist while Nell quit music. Nell reveals that she didn’t quit on them, but that Herb was the one who decided to pursue a solo career. Herb becomes upset and storms out.
The next day, Herb is determined to leave quietly, but he accidentally trips over the food Charles left in front of his door, waking everyone up. He finally confesses to Nell that he lied about knowing she was coming and that he wouldn’t have agreed to the gig if he’d known she would be there. While waiting for the boat, Herb is approached by Michael. Michael reveals that he and Nell need the money, but if Herb leaves, there won’t be a gig, which means Nell won’t get paid.
Directed by British filmmaker James Griffiths from a screenplay written by Tom Basden and Tim Key, The Ballad of WALLIS ISLAND is a wonderful drama-comedy. The story follows an eccentric millionaire who hires former folk bandmates Herb McGwyer and Nell Mortimer to perform on the remote island where he lives. The story is based on Griffiths’ own 2007 short film The One and Only Herb McGwyer, which Tom Basden also co-wrote the screenplay with Tim Key.
Tom Basden and Tim Key deliver brilliant performances. At 100 minutes, the film actually feels a bit too short. It’s the kind of movie you wish would run another 15 minutes longer. But perhaps that’s what makes the ending land so perfectly.
I kept hoping Nell would return to sing one final song with Herb, but she never did. Eventually I realized the story was never really about her, even though her presence adds so much to the film’s emotional weight. Carey Mulligan delivers a stellar performance as the other half of the fictional folk duo McGwyer Mortimer, and her singing is genuinely beautiful.
The Ballad of WALLIS ISLAND premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 25 January 2025. The film had a limited theatrical release in the United States on 28 March, by Focus Features. It was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 30 May.
