The Ballad of Wallis Island 
U.K.
2025
Opening 10 Jul 2025
Directed by:
James Griffiths
Writing credits:
Tom Basden, Tim Key
Principal actors:
Tim Key, Tom Basden, Sian Clifford, Akemnji Ndifornyen, Carey Mulligan
Charles (Tim Key) uses the money he won in the lottery to establish a residence in a large house on Wallis Island. He accepts the solitude but misses live music. Therefore, he hires the musician Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) to travel over on a small boat and bring his guitar. Herb is not excited about an audience of one person, but for 500,000 British pounds, why not? He is surprised when another small boat arrives bringing Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan). She and Herb were successful musicians working together to create and perform as the Indie-Folk-Rock duo also known as the McGwyer Mortimer Duo. There has been no contact for the last nine years. Originally they were a pair in love as well as in music, Nell is accompanied this time by her husband Michael. The relationship is difficult. All four interact with Amanda (Sian Clifford), who sells groceries in the only shop in the area and likes to play tennis. They talk about celebrating The Day of the Seafarer on June 25, established to recognize the contribution of seafarers worldwide.
The Ballad of Wallis Island starts with someone setting a needle on a record which starts our 100 minutes of music. Tom Basden, who stars as Herb, contributed to writing the plot, and also created the 16 songs including “Work the Body,” “Raspberry Fair,” and “Lost Love.” How do you rescue a mobile phone which has fallen into the water? No problem. Stick the phone into a big bag of dry rice from Amanda’s store. We learn a new word: mosh pit, which is a circle in front of a stage where audiences dance while musicians perform. Is it okay to whiten someone’s teeth in a photo? The phone booth has its own personality and requires small coins. Based on a 2007 short film, The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, which was also created by the trio Tom Basden, Tim Key, and James Griffiths, The Ballad of Wallis Island is filmed in Wales and presents beautiful views of the sea, the cliffs, the sunset, and more. It premiered at the 2025 Sundance film festival and also played at South by Southwest, Sydney, and Munich film festivals. (Becky Tan)
