Reviewer's Bias*
Loves:
Likes: Richard E. Grant, Emily Watson
Dislikes: Period pieces
Hates: Family dramas, foreign dramas

The Movie
To the studios reading this: don't want me to watch your movie? Make it a story about upper-class family drama in a foreign colony, set a few decades back. I can almost guarantee that, despite it being the writing and directing debut of Richard E. Grant, whom I've enjoyed greatly in films like Withnail & I and Spice World, there was no chance I was ever going to put Wah-Wah by my own choice.

But that's the magical thing about being a DVD reviewer. On a regular basis, movies you had no intention of seeing show up at your door, and you have no choice but to give them a chance. That's exactly how I ended up watching the story of a young boy born into privilege, at the end of the British reign over Swaziland in Africa. Thankfully, the political aspects of the story aren't a major part of the story, running as an undercurrent through the film, but they do color the overall tone and the plot itself.

Ralph Compton (Nicholas Hoult, Marcus from About a Boy) is the son of the education minister of British-controlled Swaziland, Harry Compton (Gabriel Byrne). Though this is a high position, Harry is a little man, whose alcoholism pushed his wife Lauren (Miranda Richardson) into the arms of another man, and pushed Ralph away to boarding school. When Ralph returns, looking a lot like Jonathan Rhys Meyers, he finds his father hasn't changed much, but he has a new wife, American stewardess Ruby (Emily Watson.) Bonding with his new step-mom over their abusive father and husband, they become fast friends, and, along with the recently divorced Gwen (Julie Walters). they manage to annoy the upper crust in a brutal class war.

Ralph's battles with his drunk father, and Ruby's efforts to keep the family together, in the face of society's rules and false faces, is an interesting story, but there's almost an afterschool special-feel to it all. The final portion of the story might as well be run with a Lifetime television bug in the corner of the screen, as it is all too pat and perfect for a messy tale like this. That's the problem with your standard drama: you only have two real options, the happy ending or the melodramatic conclusion.

Though Grant doesn't appear in the film, there are quite a few impressive performances here, starting with Hoult, who delivers an excellent portrayal of a child stuck in the midst of family strife. There's nothing not to like about his performance, including the physical tics that develop from his discomfort. He's matched by Watson's fine outsider, who combines a fun personality with emotional depth as a woman who needs to protect and be protected.

Perhaps the most impressive part of this film is Grant's sure hand behind the camera, aided by French cinematographer Pierre Aim. This movie follows one beautiful frame after another, composing the simplest scene with true beauty, and complementing them with artistic moments, like the cricket scoreboard transition through Ralph's childhood, the home movie footage and the gorgeous landscapes that take advantage of the film's African locale. This film just looks fantastic, without sacrificing a bit.

The DVD
Arriving in a standard black keepcase, without an insert, this one-disc release has a static anamorphic widescreen main menu, with options to watch the film, adjust the subtitles, view scene selections and check out the previews. There are no audio options, though the film is closed captioned and there are Spanish subtitles.

The Quality
A beautiful film deserves a beautiful transfer, and Sony delivered with this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image, which is bold, and sharp, without a hint of dirt or damage. The level of fine detail is very high, and the colors are extremely vivid and appropriate to the film. A gorgeous presentation all around.

The audio here is presented as a Dolby Digital 5.0 (no LFE channel) track. The dialogue is constrained to the center channel, and sounds clear, without any distortion. The music gets a boost from the surround speakers, which don't get a lot of work here, with the exception of some minor atmospheric sound effects.

The Extras
The only extras here are six trailers, none of which are for this film.

The Bottom Line
Fans of period pieces and movies about family in turmoil, as well as world politics, might get into this well-constructed movie about a young boy in Africa and his broken British home. To the drama buffs, this is a film with beautiful imagery and very good acting, which the DVD delivers in fine shape, though without any extras. I may have trouble with this genre, but if you don't definitely give this a rental.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.