Wah-Wah (DVD)

At the tender age of 11, Ralph Compton is subjected to witnessing his mother, Lauren, and her lover having sex. If this isn't bad enough, she later decides that she has had enough of being wife to a British diplomat in Swaziland and leaves her husband to seek new horizons with her lover, leaving Ralph with his father. Mr Compton's drinking gets out of hand, leaving Ralph with little choice but to go away to school. When he returns, he is shocked ...
...American woman called Ruby that he has only just met. Ruby and Ralph quickly become very close, just as Ruby and her husband start to drift apart. Will Ruby stay with the family? Or is Ralph destined to have to deal with his father's drinking alone? Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy, Skins) plays Ralph, and shows that he is very much more than just a one-trick pony. Ralph is a complicated character, and has to run the entire gamut of emotions during the ...

sunmeilan 30.08.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Wah-Wah (DVD)

Growing up in late-60s' colonial Swaziland as the country is preparing for independence is hard enough. But when fourteen year-old Ralph witnesses his mother committing adultery, it becomes even trickier. Especially when his emotionally volatile mother leaves and he has to contend with his father's alcoholism and violent mood-swings. As the hoity-toity local diplomatic community prepares for a royal visit, Ralph finds refuge in acting and a surprising ...
...E Grant's own experiences growing up in colonial Africa, I suppose it's to be expected that a certain amount of nostalgia impacts on the film. It's clear from the outset that this is Grant's directorial debut because he falls into so many stylistic traps. He allows his own feelings for Swaziland to influence the way he shoots it - as though seen through rose-tinted glasses. Yes, the terrain may be initially harsh and forbidding, but it has a certain ...

afy9mab 06.12.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Wah-Wah (DVD)