Wah-Wah

2005

Comedy / Drama

3
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 63% · 69 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 63% · 10K ratings
IMDb Rating 6.7/10 10 3442 3.4K

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Plot summary

Set at the end of the 1960s, as Swaziland is about to receive independence from United Kingdom, the film follows the young Ralph Compton, at 12, through his parents' traumatic separation, till he's 14.

Director

Richard E. Grant Photo
Richard E. Grant

Top cast

Nicholas Hoult Photo
Nicholas Hoult as Ralph Compton - 14 years
Emily Watson Photo
Emily Watson as Ruby Compton
Julie Walters Photo
Julie Walters as Gwen Traherne
Fenella Woolgar Photo
Fenella Woolgar as June Broughton
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
917.22 MB
1280*546
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 39 min
Seeds ...
1.66 GB
1912*816
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 39 min
Seeds 1

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by bshyman 8 / 10

a moving and delightful piece of work

Forget the sniping review on this site. This is a labour of love and is the true story of a young boy growing up in end-of-the-colonial-era Swaziland. His loving but alcoholic father, his faithless mother and the various other upper crust Brits are bang on the button. The film was made in a very short time, came in under budget and gives us some delightful performances. Both the boys, Zac Fox and Nick Holt, are excellent. Gabriel Byrne, Emily Watson, Celia Imrie and National Treasure Julie Walters are great. The story is told economically in just 90 or so minutes. The scenery is beautiful. What a pleasant change from over praised short-arse Hollywood 'icons' running away from explosions. Forget MI3.Go see this. Then read Richard's book 'The Wah-wah diaries.'
Reviewed by danieljc 8 / 10

Delightful, funny and very, very moving

Richard E. Grant's mostly autobiographical film tells the story of a boy growing up in Swaziland amidst the end of British colonisation, his parents' harrowing divorce and his father's destructive alcoholism.Before the film I was promised it would make me cry, laugh and be totally delighted with what I saw.The tears come from some very moving moments between Ralph (Nicholas Hoult) and his father as they try to maintain a relationship despite his father's drinking problems, depicted by a very frightening and convincing Gabriel Byrne. Ralph's struggle to accept his father's new wife, played by Emily Watson, also gives us a good dose of emotional moments, of which this film is certainly not short!The laughter comes mostly from some moments of brilliantly over-the-top British snobbery and Emily Watson's spot-on mockery of it. Incidentally, this is what gives the film its title - "Wah-Wah" being her imitation of upper class speech.And the delightfulness comes from everything about the film - a sentimental and touching story set amongst beautiful scenery, with a lovely score and stunning performances from all the cast. Having spent 5 years on this film, it is clearly very personal to Grant and it seems all that time was worth it. The promise was fulfilled - delight, laughter and tears.
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