Music is the universal language, the common thread that connects us under a unified humanity, transcending cultural, geographical and temporal boundaries and speaking directly to our souls in a way that everyone unquestionably understands. Some of the greatest works of literature began their lives as songs or strummed, featuring stories of star-crossed lovers or perilous adventures, or simply pondering the very nature of existence. Perhaps slightly hyperbolic and a tad dramatic, we do find that some stories simply work better when they are filtered through some kind of musicality – and few works encompass this better than The Ballad of Wallis Island, in which James Griffiths directs a screenplay written by Tim Key and Tom Basden, who had previously told this story (on a much smaller scale) in the short film The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island over a decade ago. The film follows a down-on-his-luck folk musician who used to be one of Britain’s bestselling artists before a highly-publicised falling-out with the other part of his duo, who also happened to be his romantic partner at the time. Living mostly in obscurity and seemingly a shadow of his former self, he is hired by Charlie, a reclusive but happy-go-lucky man who earned a fortune after winning the lottery twice, and who has retreated to a quiet life on the titular island, where he enlists our protagonist and former partner to perform a concert for quite a small local audience. Naturally, chaos and hilarity ensue as the characters learn as much about themselves as they do one another, coming to terms with some harsh realities that initially remained dormant until they were forced to confront the past, a cathartic and beautiful experience that anchors this wonderful, upbeat and melodic little comedy that has as much heart and soul as it does willingness to entertain and enthrall. A simple film, but one with several tremendous ideas, The Ballad of Wallis Island is an absolute delight, and one of the year’s most genuine surprises, both in terms of form and intention.

Considering the preamble that started this discussion, there is certainly something to be said about music as a universally-recognised form of not only artistic expression, but human emotions as a whole. There is something so powerful about a story that centres around song, and how it can be used to transform entire lives in ways that we may not even realise until we experience it firsthand. The Ballad of Wallis Island is a delightful curio of a film that is built entirely around a celebration of music, and the role it plays in the lives of ordinary people – how else do we explain a story about how a few very different people find themselves united by nothing but the power of song than to see it as a fervent and dedicated examination of what it means to express yourself artistically, choosing a medium to act as the filter for your innermost emotions? The structure of the film is simple but still quite remarkable – it may seem relatively rudimentary (or perhaps even pedestrian) on the surface, but it has depth that we don’t fully comprehend until we’re well into the story, which starts as a mostly conventional fish-out-of-water tale, in which an urban-dwelling musician finds himself being hired to perform on a remote island, viewing it as nothing more than a business transaction at first, before realising that there is much more to life than the hedonism that propels so many of us, and his aims with accepting this job shift from being purely based on financial decisions and instead become part of an ongoing journey of self-discovery that he doesn’t intially realise he is on. The concept of someone being placed in a position where they are pulled out of their comfort zone and forced to embrace an entirely different way of life, after which point they undergo something of an epiphany when realising there is more to existence than just following the status quo, is far from a new subject, but yet it still has proven to be very effective when done properly, which is certainly the case with The Ballad of Wallis Island, which uses the familiar structure of the culture clash comedy to make some astute and compelling observations on society and how art can be used to reveal our innermost layers, which many of us tend to keep hidden.

The Ballad of Wallis Island is very much a story about human connection, and the structure lends itself to some terrific performances from the cast. Two of the central characters are remnants from the original short film, with the actors once again occupying the roles, rather than going for the more predictable (but far less interesting) approach of casting larger names. To their credit, both Tim Key and Tom Basden have undergone a significant career elevation since the short film premiered in 2007, so it wasn’t entirely bizarre that Griffiths would agree to have them take on the leading roles in addition to writing the screenplay, but it is still slightly surprising, albeit in an entirely positive and charming way. Basden takes a character that could have so easily been a one-dimensional archetype – the brooding, sulky musician trying to overcome the fact that he’s become somewhat irrelevant as time has progressed – and turns him into such a complex, well-defined character whose internal struggles are far from superficial, and which ultimately proves to be the foundation for something quite solid and endearing. Similarly, Key had many opportunities to make his character – an eccentric island-dweller who stumbles into an enormous fortune – into a caricature, but he also refuses to aim for the low-hanging fruit, creating such a lovable, endearing presence that may be tinged with humour, but is never just the comedic relief. The pair have incredible chemistry, and it’s clear that this is a project towards which they both felt such an extraordinary affection. Carey Mulligan is brought on as a new character, the other half of the central folk duo, and while the film is objectively built on the characters played by Basden and Key, Mulligan nonetheless leaves quite an impression, adding many layers to yet another person that benefitted from an actor willing to put in the effort to become more than just another thinly-drawn stock character, which would have happened across the board had The Ballad of Wallis Island not been driven by an abundance of compassion and dedication from everyone involved.

It would have certainly been quite easy for a film like The Ballad of Wallis Island to become yet another charming but inconsequential comedy about a simple topic, where the lack of genuine stakes and predictable structure were commonly found and rarely viewed as anything other than a product of the genre. However, this was clearly far more than a by-the-numbers film, and instead functions as a work that the director and his co-writers absolutely cherish, putting in as much effort as they could to make this film not only entertaining but also extremely memorable. Many emotions form the foundation of this film, which only makes sense considering it is quite a touching story of human connection and how we form bonds with people over certain experiences that transcend our understanding. Yet, there’s nonetheless something so wonderfully engaging about this film, which is found in its outright refusal to go for the obvious ideas. Sentimentality can be a powerful narrative tool when used correctly, and that is certainly the case here, with even the most complex of scenes feeling genuine, rather than just becoming a bundle of heavy-handed moments in which the narrative would fall apart under the weight of overwrought posturing. This is a film that knows the value of its story and is not concerned with proving to anyone that it understands the right approach to such themes. It oscillates between outrageously funny and quietly devastating, with the more comedic moments being fresh and compelling, and those that are more downbeat genuinely striking a chord that many of us may not have expected from such a seemingly simple work. It’s wonderfully engaging and unique, and it makes great use of both its tone and execution, flourishing into a far more immersive and heartwarming comedy that understands the importance of tone in telling a story, and adheres quite strictly to these underlying ideas with incredible consistency and a willingness to take a few calculated risks for the sake of its broader narrative.

Considering the short film on which the film was built premiered nearly twenty years ago, it is clear that The Ballad of Wallis Island was a labour of love, and something that everyone involved was clearly passionate about bringing to life. The results for speak for themselves, with this film being nothing short of a wholeheartedly delightful comedy that is as charming as it is moving, a rare combination in a cinematic landscape in which we’ve seemingly lost a lot of hope in originality and where even the most vaguely sentimental stories are often written off as being unnecessarily dense and heavy-handed, when in reality there are still some gems to be found. As a whole, The Ballad of Wallis Island is an extraordinarily touching film – it moves at a steady pace, never being slow but also knowing which moments deserve more time, particularly those that contain deeper observations, and it shifts between tones seamlessly, creating a wonderfully charming blend of comedy and drama that serves the story exceptionally well. Even the filmmaking itself is impressive – the locations on which the film was made are already stunning, but the rich, lush cinematography showcases the beauty of the region, and creates an incomprehensively gorgeous environment, which only enriches the story and makes it more captivating. Anchored by extraordinary performances, and helmed by someone who handles the tonal shifts and narrative complexities with such wonderful precision, the film is a bitingly funny, heartfelt ode to the human condition, as seen through a poignant and moving exploration of music as a form of not only artistry, but emotional expression as a whole, all of which forms the foundation of one of the year’s most charming and endearing surprises.