Actor Richard E. Grant makes his directorial debut with this beguiling, semi-autobiographical dramatic comedy set in Swaziland at the end of British colonialism. Gabriel Byrne plays a member of the reigning British government, a cabal of hard-drinking, sexually duplicitous upper-crust types living in the thick heat of the African desert. Miranda Richardson plays Harry's wife, who runs off with another man. It's all seen through they eyes of the son who then comes home from boarding school to learn that his dad has married a feisty American (Emma Watson) and has developed a full-blown drinking problem. Meanwhile the British government is preparing to grant the country its independence, and the club mounts a production of CAMELOT to celebrate the arrival of Princess Margaret. Grant captures the anxiety-fueled perspective of a child forced to witness debauched adult behavior and the African backdrop is vividly etched (it's filmed entirely in Swaziland). As one might expect in a movie directed by a respected British actor, the cast is peerless: Byrne delivers a highly complex performance, veering from harrowing scenes of alcoholic violence to stiff-upper-lipped affectation; Watson breathes a wealth of dimension into a role that might have been a caricature of American crassness; Zachary Fox plays the pre-boarding school version of Ralph; and Nicholas Hoult plays Ralph's older incarnation.

Theatrical Release: May 12, 2006

DVD Features:

Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.0 - English
Subtitles - English - Closed Captioned
Subtitles - English - Optional

Gabriel Byrne: Irish Actor - Miller's Crossing/The Man in the Iron Mask
Miranda Richardson: British actress
Emily Watson: Actress
Julie Waters: Actor - OLIVER TWIST (1999 Mini-Series)
Nicholas Hoult: 
Celia Imrie: British Actress, mostly television, mid '70s-present

Richard E. Grant: British Actor

Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar: Producer, MONSIEUR N. (2005)

Richard E. Grant: British Actor

Patrick Doyle: 

"[A]cidly funny and very moving....A wry and involving film, WAH-WAH is clearly a labor of love for both Grant and his cast."
"The richness of the film lies in its attention to detail and its refusal to judge is protagonists, however extreme the behaviour."
"Richard E. Grant examines the pungent details of his own childhood in Swaziland, vividly recreating a community steeped in boredom, booze and casual adultery."
3 stars out of 5 -- "[I]ts polished and sincere enough to ensure Grant's first time behind the camera won't be his last."