Tom Basden, Tim Key, and Carey Mulligan (Photo by George Pimentel / Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Bailey Pennick
“The whole thing was 18 days,” says Carey Mulligan about the whirlwind shoot for The Ballad of Wallis Island. “18 days plus 18 years,” interjects her costar (and cowriter of the film) Tim Key. The Eccles crowd cracks up because this sweet and speedy shoot for Mulligan was the result of nearly two decades of work for the English comedy partnership of Key and Tom Basden.
The pair have expanded their 2007 short film, The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, into a delightful and poignant feature that turns the original story of McGwyer’s (Basden) solo gig on a remote island for an eccentric fan, into the tale of a once-in-a-lifetime show by indie-folk duo McGwyer Mortimer (Mulligan) for a multi-lotto-winning superfan (Key). With a remote setting of a (sadly fictional) Welsh island and a small cast to play around with, Basden and Key make the most of their full-length project, infusing the film with their signature British sense of humor, complete with Key’s character Charles doling out more puns than you’d think were possible.
Beyond the expansion of the runtime, The Ballad of Wallis Island features an added romantic element — the dormant embers of a past relationship between McGwyer and Mortimer are stoked again once they see each other and harmonize in Charles’ spacious and eclectic mansion. Basden’s original songs for the pair feel lived-in and effortless, adding another dimension to this world built with yearning for a past you can’t get back, but which you can access for a moment through music.
Back at the helm for this heartfelt and hilarious film is director James Griffiths, a man who appreciates the influence of music in his life so much that his introduction of the film is, “In the words of David Byrne: ‘How did I get here?’” And while the director is in a bit of a surreal situation, premiering his film at the Sundance Film Festival, he’s appreciative of all the decisions over those 18 years that have brought him and his collaborators to this moment. “We’ve been on a hell of a journey,” he says at the January 25 premiere. “But I truly believe that you make the film for the moment you’re in and this is the right film for the right time.”
After a lengthy standing ovation for its world premiere, Basden gets right to the core of what makes Wallis Island so warm and familiar. “We wanted to make something about music and memory,” he explains. “How it can transport you back to times in your life and help you through times in your life.” And if you’re lucky enough to hit the jackpot twice, maybe you can heal through the private concert of your dreams, just like Charles.
