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Wah-Wah - Gabriel Byrne, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson, Julie Walters, Richard E Grant

Threat advisory: Elevated - Significant risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

Every family has its own language.

Wah-Wah is a semi-autobiographical "coming-of-age at the end-of-an-Age" story, told through the eyes of young Ralph Compton. Set during the last gasp of the British Empire in Swaziland, South East Africa in 1969, the plot focuses on the dysfunctional Compton family whose gradual disintegration mirrors the end of British rule.

As an 11-year-old, Ralph (Zac Fox) witnesses his mother's adultery with his father's best friend. His parents divorce and Ralph is sent to boarding school. Harry Compton (Gabriel Byrne) not only loses his wife and best friend, but also his position as Minister of Education with the coming of Independence, prompting his rapid descent into alcoholism. Now 14, Ralph (Nicholas Hoult) returns home to discover that his father has re-married an American ex-Air hostess called Ruby (Emily Watson) whom he has known all of six weeks. As round a peg as you could find in this square holed society, Ruby ridicules the petty snobbery of Colonial life by identifying Colonial-speak as sounding like a load of old "Wah-Wah". Although Ralph is initially wary of Ruby, he bonds with her as his father's drinking escalates dangerously out of control. Meanwhile, the community frenziedly prepares an amateur production of Camelot to impress Princess Margaret who is visiting to preside over Independence. Ralph gets cast, falls in love and discovers a way to escape his hellish home life.

Theatrical propaganda posters

Target demographic movie keyword propaganda

Film Richard E Grant biography British Empire Swaziland independence Africa drama family divorce royal colonial

Persons of interest

Gabriel Byrne .... Harry Compton
Miranda Richardson .... Lauren Compton
Emily Watson .... Ruby Compton
Julie Walters .... Gwen Traherne
Nicholas Hoult .... Ralph Compton
Celia Imrie .... Lady Riva Hardwick
Julian Wadham .... Charles Bingham
Fenella Woolgar .... June Broughton
Sid Mitchell .... Vernon
Zac Fox .... Young Ralph
Olivia Grant
John Matshikiza
Michael Richards
Ian Roberts .... John Traherne
Richard E Grant .... Screenwriter
Richard E Grant .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

Wah-Wah official movie site
Wah-Wah film production notes
Wah-Wah QuickTime movie trailers
Awards and film festivals:

British Independent Film Awards 2005: Nominated: Best Actress (Emily Watson), Douglas Hickox Award (Richard E Grant)
Edinburgh International Film Festival 2005: World première
IFTA Awards 2005: Nominated: Best Actor in a Feature Film (Gabriel Byrne)
Tribeca Film Festival 2006: Screening
Toronto International Film Festival 2005: Screening

See also Kin, The white Masai (Die weisse Massai)
Studios and distributors:

Hopscotch Films

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

It seems to me that any English person forced to live in the colonies either goes native or takes up drinking; few poms are suited to life in the bush so that leaves gin. Gin is also known as Mother's Ruin (in large amounts it acts as an abortifacient). Whiskey does the same thing for fathers, and that's before the introduction of father/son issues (let alone divorced father/son issues). Richard E Grant's theatricalised life in Wah-Wah highlights the joys of Empire, colonies, bereavement, adolescence, divorce, abandonment and alcohol.

Sounds like fun.