The Ballad of Wallis Island

We only came across this film as it appeared in the list of candidates for Best Film in the 2026 BAFTA awards but not in any other category so you had to quick to spot it!

The actual premise sounds potentially mawkish, or even cringey – a growing lottery winner takes the two estranged members of a folk band to perform a private concert for him on a remote island where now lives alone, and literally, does not know when to shut up or what personal boundaries are.

In execution however this turns out to be a sweet, contemplative and even fun movie. The reason for his wife’s death, which could have been milked for extra pathos is all the more powerful for never being explained and the characters all learn something, even if it is just that they are happy as things are (the female half of the duo), while her male counterpart learns that the commercial pop he is now turning out isn’t what he wants at all, and the host learns that five years is enough time to allow yourself to move on.

There are some genuinely funny moments, visually and in dialogue and the whole thing is handled with a lightness and deftness of touch that is a credit to the director. In less sure hands it could have been a cringe-fest but it turned out to be a triumph and well worth 100 minutes of your time.