WAH WAH

UK, 2006, 118 minutes, Colour.
Gabriel Byrne, Nicholas Hoult, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson, Julie Walters, Julian Wadham, Celia Imre, Fenella Woolgar.
Directed by Richard E. Grant.

What is wah-wah? Well we might ask. We all know blah-blah. So, why not wah-wah?

For readers who may like to add to their collection of wah-wah vocabulary, this film provides some extras: hubbly-jubbly, toodle-pip, hush-hush, tra-la-la, diddly-do and hoity-toity! The British have contributed more than their share of wah-wah!

The trouble with any kind of jargon, especially if it sound pretentious, even Type chatter, can seem like wah-wah to those on the outside. But, that is not the point of this reflection on Wah- Wah.

In the film, Wah Wah, Ruby (Emily Watson), is an American fish out of water in late 60s Swaziland. She can’t understand a lot of the verbal mannerisms and is understandably irritated by the pompous British customs and rituals and lah-de-dah (there’s another one) idioms. She bursts out with the righteousness of the annoyed, that it is all wah-wah-wah.

That is not the only key to this film but it serves as an introduction. Don’t be put off by thinking the film is all wah-wah. It is not. It is very interesting and enjoyable. It was written and directed by actor Richard E. Grant (Withnail and I) and is his thinly disguised memoir of his mother and father and growing up in this colonial society where the local population are on the verge of national independence.

There is a great deal on offer in Wah Wah, not simply the story of the boy and his family. The colonial issues are to the fore, especially with the transition for Swazi nationals from servant status to autonomy. And there is a great deal of satire at the expense of the pompous Brits.

Grant clearly admires his father, although they had many very tense moments. His mother was bored with life in Swaziland and began an affair with the husband of a friend and walked out on her son and husband – although she later tried to ingratiate herself back into the family. In the meantime, his father, a decent enough but rather repressed educator, takes to drink and sends his son to boarding school. His alcoholism has quite devastating effects on himself. His outbursts are vicious and violent. And he later has no memory of them.

Colonial Swaziland is, on the surface, a fairly straightforward society. It is governed by the long tradition of British Empire protocols, rituals and appropriate decorums. Everything and everyone in their place (including the Swazis themselves). However, Swaziland is in transition. The governors are about to depart and the local people will return to their old freedoms.

Beneath the surface, there are the familiar shadow simmerings. Sometimes they boil and erupt. This means that the society is a complex mixture of people being themselves and people being ‘beside themselves’. This is particularly true for Grant’s father.

Harry Compton, when we first see him, is about to receive a well-deserved government honour for his services to education. He seems genial and a good friend to everyone, both British and Swazi’s. He loves his son. But, we have witnessed his wife’s infidelity and soon pick up that, despite his loving her, she has so goaded him that his shadow play comes to the surface. From a congenial type, he spits out insights that wound. As he drinks more and more and his wife walks out on him, this shadow self is uncovered and emerges into the light to stand beside the ordinary and well-functioning Harry.

Alcohol-fuelled shadow, especially if it is insightfully cruel, can inflict emotional pain on family and those close which the outside world might never see. Not only that, in Harry’s case, it explodes into vitriolic judgments, into physical violence, even gunshots at his son. What is worse for all concerned, is that the alcohol and its after-effects mean that Harry has little or no memory of what he has said or done. The shadow Harry that was ‘beside himself’ is blocked out and vanishes only to reappear when denial and inhibitions come down with the next rounds of alcohol.

Ralph has two ways of coping. One is a facial tic (well, it is rather stronger than a tic) where, in exasperation, he manipulates his mouth, cheeks and jaw in what might be called his equivalent to a silent primal scream. The other way is his creating a puppet theatre where he objectifies what he is experiencing in the emotional violence of his version of a Punch and Judy show.

What helped the young boy (Ralph in the film) is his father’s impetuous marrying Ruby who provides friendship and support for him. But Harry is so far gone in his shadow that when he is beside himself he starts to abuse Ruby herself. Ralph makes some sensible decisions for his father – secretly confiding in the local doctor that his father is alcoholic and asking for some treatment - as well as finding his feet in theatre with the local production of Camelot for Princess Margaret’s visit for the declaration of independence.

Grant shows great tenderness towards his father as well as forgiveness in the final part of the film with the debilitated Harry acknowledging what has happened as well as his love for Ralph and Ruby.

For those who contemplate seeing Wah Wah, it should be said that the cast is excellent. Gabriel Byrne gives one of his best performances as the father. Emily Watson is sympathetic as Ruby while Miranda Richardson is unsympathetic as the mother and forfeits forgiveness by her attempts to manipulate husband and son into taking her back when her lover is transferred to South America. Julie Walters is the friend whose husband betrays her and Celia Imrie as the upper crust lady of the British enclave is hoity toity to the extreme. She is the main perpetrator of wah-wah.

Nicholas Hoult has proven himself as a fine child actor in About a Boy and The Weather Man. Much taller and ganglier (as is Richard E Grant still), he makes Ralph, his problems and dilemmas quite convincing. And offers insight into the troubled life of his father.

1. The impact of the film? Africa or in the 1960s and seventies? Colonial era, transition, to independence?

2. The film as autobiographical for Richard E. Grant? His early life, growing up, his parents, education, the experience of colonial leaving? The end of the era? His later career?

3. The title, Ruby’s comment, British pomposity and phrases? An American looking in on the colony? Others responses? The responses of Ralph?

4. The strong British cast? Emily Watson as an American? Creating an authentic feel, look, accent and tone? The Africans in the past?

5. The introduction to Ralph, his being in the car with his mother and Uncle John, seeing what was going on, aware of the deception, the lies? The significance of his face twitching? His love for his mother despite her behavior? Her leaving, his wanting her back? His pride in his father, the ceremony of receiving the medal? Gwen, her sense of betrayal, smothering him, her drinking? His angers, the puppets and acting out his anger in the plays? The puppets his mother’s gift?

6. His father, work, contribution to Swaziland, life at home, tensions with his wife, the affair, the meals and the formality? His wife leaving, Ralph and the reaction? His father drinking more?

7. The father and his type in being a trunk, abusive, violence, discipline? His not remembering? The decision to send Ralph to boarding school? Ralph’s reluctance? The two faces at the railway station and the transition of two years?

8. The colonial society, the class structure, at home with the family, the cook, her not being able to read, the routine menu list? The menial work? The governor, his womanizing? His wife, her pomposity and manner, snobbish, ignoring people, the colonial group and their double standards? The place of Ralph’s father in this society?

9. The passing of the two years, their effect, his coming home, growing up, taller? His father late? The introduction to Ruby, his being wary, asserting she was not his mother, yet her friendship, even provoking him about his twitching? His friend from school, their playing together, mischief?

10. His father and Ruby, the happiness, yet his father drinking, turning on Ralph and Ruby, the gun at his son, his not remembering, apologizing? Harshness and violence torture agree? The happy times, the contrast with the sadder times? The bottles, his demands? Ralph going to the Doctor and reporting his father, the treatment? Ruby leaving, staying with Gwen, her return?

11. Ralphs’s mother, her return, her story, love for her son, looking at the puppets, going for the drive, his father accepting her back? The meal and less tension? The realisation of the truth, Uncle John going to Peru? Her being ousted? Coming to the performance of Camelot with Uncle John? Not returning?

12. Putting on the musical, Princess Margaret? The secrecy but the gossip? Camelot? The excitement, the cast, the auditions, Ralph and his singing? His father’s wariness? Gwen and her performance, the governor’s wife and her mellowing? The issue of the black singer, at home with the family, the audition, the response? His singing, but generally with a helmet on? Gwen, upset about her husband, giving her coffee, her outspokenness? The performance, the success, the audience? The party, the African and his being feted? And the irony of Princess Margaret unable to come? The desperation of the director?

13. Ruby, as a character, American, flight attendant, openness, her comment on the language of the British, bonding with Ralph, love for his father despite everything? Going, her returning?

14. Gwen, her own hurt, a standby support? The governor, his wife? The neighbours and their gossip? Uncle John and his behavior?

15. Ruby and Ralph waiting at dinner table, the delay of his father, their thinking he was drunk, his being invited to stay and work in Swaziland?

16. The ceremony for independence, the processions, singing and dancing, changing of the flag, the arena, the video? Joy?

17. Transition to a different life and the colony, memories? The film as a tribute to Grant’s father, to Ruby? And the audience sharing in his life?