No shooting, no violence
Added 10/13/2008
Great coming of age tale with superb acting, beautiful scenery and a nice plot that's watchable without being cloying. Definitely worth the time.
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"A Bloody Masterpiece"
Added 8/1/2008
What a bloody masterpiece! All of the parts are played to perfection. I lived that adolescent angst family dynamic and Nicholas Hoult portrays it heroically. Gabriel Byrne is a bloody genius. I especially like the clever way that newsreels of the actual emancipation event were so artistically inserted into the film--beautifully done.
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Memories from my youth
Added 6/25/2008
I was born in Swaziland in 1968 (the year of independence depicted in the film) and lived there for 10 years. My parents obviously remember more than I do but I can vouch for the accuracy of the movie:
> The infidelity was indemic - although my mom is adamant the father was a much worse than the mother (who according to her had just the one dalliance and ended up marrying the guy). But you have to admit it was pretty dumb to fool around with you son in the back seat.
> He gave great puppet shows, he was a regular attraction at kids birthday parties, including my own. I guess the beginnings of his Directing talents...
> It is a beautiful country, although run down in the last decade or two through poor leadership after the old king died.
Richard is a talented and engaging actor who has a bit of a cult following mostly off the back of "Withnail and I" but he has done a great job as a Director, getting strong performances out of a talented cast.
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An excellent film, in every respect
Added 5/23/2008
As stated earlier, don't let the gross sales figures (or anything, for that matter) put you off from watching this excellent film. Brilliant acting, lovely intimacy and lush scenery lend to this winner of a film. Others have already done the job of beautifully summarizing it. Do yourself a favor and watch it a few times. You'll be amazed at what you pick up as you go through it. Nicholas Hoult and Gabriel Byrne are simply brilliant.
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Superb Acting
Added 6/2/2007
Richard E. Grant, in his debut film as director, has made a powerful autobiographical film of his traumatic childhood. The film is set in 1969 in the lead-up to Swaziland's independence from Britain.
Seen through the eyes of teenager Ralph (Nicholas Hoult), we see scenes of intense and emotional acting from Gabriel Byrne, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson and Julie Walters.
The devastating effects that alcoholism has on a family are profoundly poignant in this film. But also the way that infidelity and treachery is so corroding on people's lives, especially those we love, is devastating. But the pathos in Wah-Wah comes from the heartbreaking depiction of unrequited love that Ralph's father (Gabriel Byrne) has for Ralph's mother, played without sentimentality by Miranda Richardson. Gabriel Byrne's acting is compelling and nuanced, that he will leave you gasping in admiration at his skill as an actor.
"The lives of the colonial hierarchy are depicted and mocked, and wah-wah is how Ralph's stepmother Ruby (Emily Watson) described the British pretensions the country is dealt with, with enormous affection."
Furthermore, Wah-Wah is filmed entirely in Swaziland. The cinematography is breathtaking; for we see wide camera shots of landscape that make Swaziland such a visually beautiful country.
This is a well-told and engaging film with some of the best acting performances I have seen on the screen in a long time.
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