Wah-Wah (2005)It may seem like this story of a dysfunctional family is familiar, and just setting it in a new location (Swaziland, 1969) will perk it up. And that's partly true, both halves. It really is a television soap opera, and it really is interesting for its setting and subtle political backdrop.But it's so decently made, with sterling performances across the line, you can't help but give it a chance. Even when you think, oh no, not this, you will also think, ah, nicely done. Very moving. And funny. And beautiful.And that, oddly, is everything, which says something. The cast is easily read elsewhere (Gabriel Byrne and Emily Watson stand out for me). The director is a completely new name to me, Richard E. Grant, and it turns out he only has 84 movies to his credit--as an actor (including Henry and June and Dracula). This is his only role as director, and it should have encouraged him. With a more original script (which it must be confessed he also wrote), this would have made the sterling performances and great overall production rise to another level.As it is, a completely absorbing movie, being what it is, and for those who appreciate this kind of sometimes funny, sometimes moving melodrama.

Wah-Wah (Richard E. Grant, 2005) is a delightful film about writer-director Grant's childhood during the final throes of colonial Swaziland. Balancing fraughtness - as his alter-ego's mother (Miranda Richardon) leaves and his father (Gabriel Byrne) descends into alcoholism - with superbly judged comic passages, it transports the viewer into the head of the young protagonist, perfectly articulating his feelings without the need for speechifying or voice-over. Such a feat is testament to the economy and precision of the script, Grant's subtle but expressive direction and Nicholas Hoult's excellent performance as the 14-year-old Ralph Compton. That Hoult can hold his own against Emily Watson, the most gifted dramatic performer of her generation, is as high praise as I can think of. Watson is ideal, as ever, playing the boy's ballsy American step-mum, who's threatening to turn high society on its ear if she can stand the scotch-swilling company long enough. The film does suffer from a dearth of geographic context in the mid-section and has some structural problems in the second half that seem to saddle it with several false endings, but it's clever, subtle and formidably unsentimental, with superb acting across the board. Its more painful exchanges have the unmistakable ring of truth and grim memory, and there's a great set of scenes in which Hoult sees A Clockwork Orange and starts idly apeing McDowell's eyeliner-wearing sociopath. I really liked it.

This film is a highly entertaining view of a dysfunctional family from the viewpoint of the teenaged son. It is said to be an autobiographical memory of the writer and director, Richard E. Grant. I didn't recognize the name, but once I started to read a bit about the film, I found that Grant is a fairly well-known character actor. The part most readily recognized by myself was that of the tall, thin, disapproving butler in Gosford Park. You might be interested in his biographical page on this site.The story takes place late 1960's Swaziland and climaxes with the British withdrawal from that colony. Ralph is the only child of Lauren and Harry Compton, and theirs is not a happy marriage. As a matter of fact, the film begins with a scene in which an eleven year old Ralph is supposedly asleep in the backseat of a car in which his mother and a neighbor are having sex in the front seat. She soon leaves her family and runs off with the neighbor. Ralph's father consoles himself with alcohol - it seems that practically every English adult in the colony has a drinking problem. Ralph constantly battles with his father and is soon shipped off to boarding school. The story shifts two years and teenaged Ralph who has just experienced his growth spurt returns home on vacation to find that his father has married an American air hostess. Ralph, at first, rejects Ruby but then begins to admire the out-spoken Yank. The title of the film comes from Ruby as she describes the supercilious talk of the British as, "Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah." Grant has accumulated a superior group of veteran actors to portray the major characters in the piece. Gabriel Byrne plays an alcoholic father to perfection being both a hurtful drunk and a loving father. Byrne has the talent to realistically inhabit these two opposite personalities. Miranda Richardson is the perfect distant mother. Julie Walters plays the wife of the man with whom Ralph's mother has the affair. Walters adds a welcome spot of humor as a woman cheated upon but able to muddle through with generous helpings of whisky. Ruby is played by Emily Watson whose pixyish look and behavior fits the Yank like a glove.Ralph is played by two talented young actors. Zachary Fox is Ralph at age eleven - an intelligent boy beginning to discover that his parents - especially his father - have feet of clay. Ralph at age thirteen is played by Nicholas Hoult. He has an extraordinarily unusual look about him and is in that awkward stage of physical development enabling him to make the role his own. The trivia on IMDb is that he was originally set to play Ralph at both ages, but his growth spurt caused him to be too large for the younger part. That growth spurt gives his a great look for this movie.Even though we get an insightful look at the British colonists and their attitude toward themselves and the native Africans, this is not a social or political drama. It is and excellent family drama. The times and setting are simply icing on the cake.

I love this film! I've been a fan of Richard E Grant for a long time, and this film is just the cream on the cake. :) He is a great writer and director (and of course, a fantastic actor) and I love the way he introduces Swaziland to us. The actors are perfect for the roles. The soundtrack is also fantastic. I was crying and laughing. It really touches your heart. When I first saw it I immediately knew that the film has something to tell. Having a childhood like Richard had is not an easy thing. What I love the most is the way he shows the family connections, pain, and big decisions through the eyes of a child. A great film! I recommend it to anyone.