WAH-WAH - TRIBECA

2006 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

WAH-WAH

The feature directorial debut of actor Richard E. Grant, WAH-WAH
is a semi-autobiographical tale of a British family living in Swaziland
in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some have complained that the film
ignores the African natives in favor of the Caucasian characters, but
I think they are missing the point. As depicted in several other stories
(including WHITE MISCHIEF, set in an English section of Kenya), the
British tended to isolate themselves from the natives, preferring to keep
company with the familiar. Indeed, it is that insularity that lends the film
its strange title. An American woman, the second wife of one of the
high-ranking Brits, refers to their slang ("hush-hush," "hobbilty-jobbilty")
as "wah-wah." (For those who may recall the old animated Charlie
Brown television specials, her impression of the slang terms recalls
when adults speak in the cartoons.) The fact that the actress portraying
this free-spirited American is Emily Watson is perhaps somewhat ironic.

Grant's story begins with young Ralph (Zac Fox) pretending to be
asleep in the back seat of a car. In the front are his mother Lauren
(the always excellent Miranda Richardson) and her married lover John
(Ian Roberts). It's the first inkling that Ralph has that his parents'
marriage is coming apart. When his father Harry (Gabriel Byrne in a strong
turn) confronts his wife's lover at a medal ceremony, a small-scale
scandal erupts. Eventually Lauren leaves her husband and child, and
Ralph is sent off to boarding school.

Three years later, Ralph (now played by Nicholas Hoult) returns
home and discovers that his father has remarried. His new wife
is Ruby (Emily Watson), an American airline hostess. At first, Ralph
rejects his new stepmother but soon the pair form a tender bond --
partly because of Ruby's impatience with the starchy attitude of the
locals and partly over Harry's increasing alcoholism.

While there are flaws to the film, WAH-WAH is elevated by the
impeccable cast, including fine supporting turns from Julie Walters,
Julian Wadham and Fenella Woolgar. Only the usually redoubtable
Celia Imrie is a bit too much as a snooty aristocrat. Grant has mined
a difficult period in his own life and turned personal tragedy into an
uneven but moving feature film.

Rating: B