Presenting Partner
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New York Premiere
Wah-Wah
| U.K. | 99 MINUTES | EnglishDrama
The "pip-pip" façade of late-colonial British society receives a gentle pricking in actor Richard E. Grant's directorial debut. Partially based on Grant's own experiences growing up in South Africa, Wah-Wah blends together coming-of-age melodrama and incisive character studies reminiscent of Evelyn Waugh. The plot unfolds against the backdrop of the hand over of power in Swaziland, circa 1969. The sun has pretty much set on decades of British imperial rule, and on the marriage of imperial functionary Harry Compton (Gabriel Byrne) and his adulterous wife Lauren (Miranda Richardson). Eleven-year-old Ralph (played effectively by Zach Fox and as a teenager by Nicholas Hoult) spies his mother doing the deed and becomes our eyes and ears for all that follows-including his father's descent into alcoholic melancholy and his remarriage to Ruby, a sassy American flight hostess (Emily Watson). Ruby and Ralph bond as he comes to understand that she too is an outsider in this hypocritical, class-obsessed society. (Interestingly enough, the film's title refers not to the British slang term "wah-wah," meaning headache, but to Ruby's dismissal of upper-crust colonial phraseology as a load of old "wah-wah.") Grant coaxes understated performances from his ensemble, while keeping his focus firmly fixed on the human drama, relegating politics to the background. There are some wonderful period songs, and the action builds to a surprisingly moving climax. This is a warm, humane film obviously close to its maker's heart-and all the more effective because of it.
Cast & Credits
Directed by
Richard E. Grant
After studying dramatic art in South Africa, Richard E. Grant went to London, where he made his stage debut in 1984. After his first film appearance in Bruce Robinson's Withnail and I in 1986, he worked in television, theatre, and films in the UK and U.S.A. In 1992, Robert Altman cast him in the Hollywood satire The Player. He went on to become an Altman regular, appearing in Prêt-à-Porter and Gosford Park. Grant has also worked with Martin Scorsese in The Age of Innocence. He then returned to the stage as Algernon Moncrieff in a revival of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. His other film credits include The Portrait of a Lady, Keep the Aspidistra Flying, and Spice World. His first novel, By Design, was published in 1997 and was followed by a memoir, With Nails. Wah-Wah is Grant's first film as director and screenwriter.
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Rush will be offered when advanced tickets for a screening or event are no longer available at venues
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The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.
The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.
