The Ballad of Wallis Island (2025) on Netflix
PG-1320251h 40mComedyDramaMusic
Herb McGwyer, of the folk duo McGwyer Mortimer, arrives on a remote island to play for Charles Heath, a lottery-winning fan. Charles has also invited Nell Mortimer, Herb's former partner.
- Netflix4.3/5
- IMDb7.4/1025,905 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes96%
Trailer
Plot summary
Charles Heath won the lottery twice, spent the money traveling with his late wife Marie, and settled on the remote island of Wallis off the coast of Wales. Marie loved the folk duo McGwyer Mortimer, so Charles hires Herb McGwyer, half of that duo, to play a private show at his home and pays him half a million pounds in cash. Herb, whose solo pop career is struggling, wants the fee for his next album. Charles gives him gifts Herb praised in interviews, shows him a stage built on the beach, and admits he will be the only person listening. Then Nell Mortimer, Herb's former musical and romantic partner, arrives with her American husband, Michael. She left music years ago and now sells chutney she makes herself in Portland, Oregon.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Ballad of Wallis Island (2025)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The film grew out of The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, a short Tim Key and Tom Basden made with director James Griffiths; it won best short film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and was nominated for a 2008 BAFTA, and many of its lines appear verbatim in the feature.
