| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Gabriel Byrne | ... | ||
| Emily Watson | ... | ||
| Julie Walters | ... |
Gwen Traherne
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| Nicholas Hoult | ... | ||
| Miranda Richardson | ... |
Lauren Compton
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| Zac Fox | ... | ||
| Celia Imrie | ... |
Lady Riva Hardwick
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| Julian Wadham | ... | ||
| Fenella Woolgar | ... |
June Broughton
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John Matshikiza | ... |
Dr. Zim Mzimba
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Sid Mitchell | ... |
Vernon
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John Carlisle | ... |
Sir Gifford Hardwick
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Mathokoza Sibiya | ... |
Dozen
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Sindisiswe Nxumalo | ... |
Regina
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Michael Richard | ... |
Tobias
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Set at the end of the '60s, as Swaziland is about to receive independence from Great Britain, the film follows the young Ralph Compton, at 12, through his parents' traumatic separation, till he's 14. It is written and directed by Richard E Grant, and based on true events from Richard E Grant's childhood. Written by Anonymous
Truly fantastic movie. I went to the world premiere last night at Edinburgh Film Festival and was blown away. As much as I like Richard E. Grant, I must confess that I was expecting a rather indulgent art-house auto-biopic. Instead, what we got was a brilliant, superbly paced, wonderfully entertaining feature film that held the audience to the last scene. The first 10 minutes are a little slow, but from then on Grant never puts a foot wrong.
"Wah-Wah" has the right blend of comic situations, gritty family conflict, stunning African scenery and caricatures of latter-day British imperial pretensions to entertain, engage and amaze.
Nicholas Hoult shows that the intensity and charisma evidenced in "About A Boy" were no childhood fluke, while Gabriel Byrne brings a perfect mix of menace and charm to encapsulate the contradictions of Grant's father figure. Special kudos goes to Emily Watson, whose on-screen presence is radiant and lively, rather akin to Rachel Griffiths in "Six Feet Under".
With an assured debut like this, Grant should soon be able to give up those wretched Argos ads for good!