McGwyer and Mortimer haven't played together in about a decade. McGwyer's moved on, he's got a solo career, but there's a request for the older material as part of an intimate gig at Wallis Island. How far the organiser is prepared to go to recapture the old days is part of the film's bittersweet charm. The consequences of that are the source of its comedy.

As it screened as the Glasgow Film Festival's 'Surprise Film', I heard the couple behind me say that The Ballad Of Wallis Island wasn't the kind of film they'd normally go to see. That's one of the joys of the Surprise Film, which has given audiences fare like War Pony, Spring Breakers, Calvary and more. I didn't note any walkouts but as is traditional for film festivals I was near the front. I did note that those who seemed to enjoy it most...