The Ballad of Wallis Island | Langton Matravers Village Hall

The Ballad of Wallis Island

Director: James Griffiths
Writers: Tim Key, Tom Basden
Actors: Tim Key, Carey Mulligan, Tom Basden
Rating: 12
Comedy | Drama | UK | 2025 | 1hr 40 mins

The folk duo McGwyer Mortimer are reunited after years apart when an eccentric millionaire brings them out to his island for a private gig. Tensions are a little high, as Herb McGwyer and Nell Mortimer didn’t just split artistically, but romantically too. Nevertheless, they can’t turn down the sum offered up by Charles, their overbearing (yet affable and always-charming) patron. But McGwyer and Mortimer each have their own view on their past, and hopes for the future. Will they find a new harmony, or will Charles’s hopes for the gig be dashed?

As Charles, Tim Key draws on his well-known comic chops, but he’s just as impressive in the tender scenes as a man who simply wants a deeply personal dream to come true. He’s a standout, and that’s no small feat considering who he’s sharing the screen with. Carey Mulligan and Tom Basden bring the chemistry needed to make believable the long, troubled history of the folk duo, and to set the scene for both the comedy and the drama to unfold.

Throughout history, ballads have ignored the mundane day-to-day events of their subjects’ lives, focusing instead on moments of high emotion. In this sense The Ballad of Wallis Island is appropriately named. Ballad quickly makes it clear that Charles, Herb, and Nell all have lessons to learn, and that their meeting on Wallis Island will be a fateful one.

Special Guest - Jojo Warne, a British Location Scout & Manager

Discussion after the screening with Jojo Warne, a British location scout and manager known for major productions including One Life (Anthony Hopkins), Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and upcoming release The Beekeeper 2 starring Jason Statham.