The Ballad of Wallis Island, the acclaimed comedy-drama starring Tim Key and Carey Mulligan, has landed a new streaming home in the UK. Regarded as one of the finest British films of 2025, this is one you won’t want to miss.
The film, which is based on the 2007 short The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, sees Tom Basden portray Chris Pinner, a musician who is now down on his luck after finding fame in folk duo McGwyer Mortimer.
Chris is invited to a remote island in Wales by the wealthy Charles Heath (Key), an eccentric widower who has an affinity for McGwyer Mortimer. Such is his love for the band, he invites Nell Mortimer (Mulligan), the other half of the duo, causing distress to Chris.
Co-written by Basden and Key, with James Griffiths serving as director, The Ballad of Wallis Island is available to stream on both Sky Cinema and NOW, with both services requiring a subscription.
Upon its release in May, the comedy-drama was acclaimed by critics for its screenplay and performances, with Rotten Tomatoes currently reporting a near-perfect approval rating of 96% from 140 reviews.
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In Digital Spy’s five-star review, we called The Ballad of Wallis Island the “best British film of the year”, adding: “It’s a comedy that questions whether you can regain what you’ve lost – or if you even should.
“We might be in danger of making it sound too dry because it’s also hilarious, maybe not in the big belly laughs fashion, but in a consistently funny way. A lot of that comes from the inspired performance from Key, who makes Charles an endearing talkative oddball.”
Associated Press was also full of praise, writing: “It’s still early days for 2025 releases, and far too soon to be making any reasonable declarations about how something is going to stack up with the rest of them by December. But this is a special one for any year.”
Focus Features/Universal Pictures
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“A bittersweet, cardigan-clad small treasure of a film and a balm for battered souls. If there’s any justice in the world it should be the breakout hit of the summer,” opined The Observer, while The Financial Times called it a “melancholy farce with an oddly pure soul”.
Elsewhere on Sky Cinema and NOW, other films that have recently been added to the streamers include historical drama Nuremberg, oddball thriller Borderline and taut chamber piece All the Devils Are Here.
The Ballad of Wallis Island is streaming on Sky Cinema and NOW.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.