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Moviola > Films > Wah-Wah
Wah-Wah (15) 99 mins"Every Family Has Its Own Language." Richard E Grant's directorial debut is an overtly autobiographical story set in Swaziland in 1969. The country is about to gain its independence from Great Britain, and the British ex-pat community is thrown into turmoil by the prospect of losing its pampered and decadent lifestyle. This 'coming of age' comedy drama is seen through the eyes of young Ralph Compton (played first by Zac Fox and then by Nicholas Hoult) as he struggles to come to terms with his parents' messy divorce - his mother (Miranda Richardson) runs off with her lover and his father (Gabriel Byrne) takes to the bottle - and his father's remarriage to Ruby (Emily Watson), a brash ex air-hostess. While these events are taking place, Ralph takes a lead role in a production of Camelot staged in honour of Princess Margaret's imminent visit, and discovers love. The title comes from Ruby's imitation of upper-class English speech. "Human stories, that do not rely on computer generated, concept driven, special effects extravaganzas wherein mega stars run towards or away from ever more spectacular explosions, is what interests me most. Families and what happens within them, behind closed doors, is something that is common to everyone and is the focus of both the comedy and drama in Wah-Wah. The underlying theme is Love - love lost, re-gained, unrequited, forgotten, longed for, and discovered." Richard E Grant The film opened the Edinburgh film festival in August 2005, and then had a special screening at the Toronto film festival the following September. "Superbly performed and fluently shot." BBC Films
Last modified: 20-Jun-2008 |
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