I'm drenched. Dame Judy?

Continuing my trip up Empire's top 20 films of 2025

#4 :  The Ballad Of Wallis Island

The tide ebbs and flows around Wallis Island, but there’s a bigger force of nature making waves here: Tim Key, who, for the entirety of this absolute gem of a film, makes us cry with laughter and, well, just cry. Adapted by him and his comedy partner Tom Basden from their 2007 short The One And Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, and again directed by James Griffiths, this follows Key’s wealthy widower Charles as he attempts to reunite his favourite folk duo, the estranged McGwyer Mortimer (Basden and Carey Mulligan). Key has always been a truly singular human, his absurdist comedy as sharp as it is silly. Here, though, as the misty-eyed Charles, desperate for company – for friendship, for love – he tugs at the heartstrings as much as he hits the funny bone, in a film that heralds harmony in all its forms. As warm as blankets get.

I knew I would like this because I really like Tim Key's understated but ridiculous comedy vibe, but it still took me ages to get round to watching it. 

And it's an interesting one because I don't really know how much to tell you. Charles Heath (Tim Key) lives an unusual existence on Wallis Island and decides his life would be improved if folk duo Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) and Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan) reunite - they were previously a couple and probably wouldn't be 100% keen on that idea, so he decides not to tell them. And do you know what? That's maybe not the best idea. It's not 100% clear that they are going to make Charles's life better but, as the film progresses, you find yourself very much hoping that some way is found.

The three main characters in this are very well written - they're all basically decent people who are (to various degrees) flawed, yet hopefully fixable. Tim Key plays a very Tim Key-like character, somehow likeable yet unknowable, full of throw-away absurd lines delivered with such minimal emphasis that you have to try and work out if you found them funny or not. I wasn't previously aware of Tom Basden but he's a bit of an asshole here - his glory days are behind him (which is entirely his fault) but he doesn't realise it. Carey Mulligan is of course excellent - she's nicely grounded in this which fits in well considering how much more famous she is than her colleagues in real life. This is only our second visit with her here, but I reckon I've seen her in about ten things and she's been great in all of them (An Education, Never Let Me Go, Promising Young Woman and Maestro are all very much worth watching).

I'm also going to mention Akemnji Ndifornyen who plays Nell's husband (in an extremely underwritten part) and Sian Clifford who plays Amanda who works in the only shop on the island - her role starts small but grows nicely throughout the film. And that's pretty much all the people in the film apart from a few people that drive boats or hang about morosely.

The film takes place in a large manor house or out and about on a beautiful island so obviously it's going to look absolutely gorgeous. It hasn't had a load of money thrown at it (the main photography was done in 18 days), so it's all pretty understated but it works well within the confines of the story. It's the second film from director James Griffiths (and is based upon a short film he did with Tim and Tom back in '07) and he deserves credit for the understated approach and lightness of touch he's taken here.

And, let's be honest here, there really isn't a whole load of story here, but there's nothing wrong with that. It has characters in it that you care about and want to see healed and, although I can see that some people will think it's a bit twee, I thought it has some interesting things to say about dealing with grief and loneliness and it does so with gentle humour. It also has some surprisingly decent original songs in it which are performed really nicely by Tom and Carey - they make some really lovely noises together.

All in all, I loved this - it's a very likeable and watchable film, which is sometimes just what you need and it's not something we've seen too much of on Empire's list (I think this is the only film on the list that I'd sit down and watch with both my parents). So it's a strong recommendation from me if you're in the market for such a thing - it's available to stream on Sky or to rent in all the usual places.

#5 - Intriguing