ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL
The Talented Mr Ripley
A sleek, seductive psychological thriller following Tom Ripley, a young striver who becomes entangled in wealth, glamour, and deception on the Italian Riviera. Sent to retrieve a wealthy playboy, Tom instead becomes intoxicated by his world — and dangerously determined to keep it. Identity, envy, and ambition blur as charm slips into obsession and paradise turns perilous.
Director
Anthony Minghella
Actors
Matt Damon • Jude Law • Gwyneth Paltrow • Cate Blanchett • Philip Seymour Hoffman
2h 19m • Rated M • Psychological Thriller, Drama • USA (1999)
The island setting, the modest production, and the humor that often arises from character rather than contrivance work together to keep the film from ever feeling flat. On the flip side, a few feel the pacing is uneven, or that the secondary characters don’t always land. Still, even these criticisms tend to be soft and in the service of a film that is more heartwarming than perfect.
Overall, the consensus sees The Ballad of Wallis Island as a warm, wistful, and soul-soothing film—modest in scope but rich in feeling. It’s not trying to dazzle, but it digs in where it matters: loss, memory, music, human connection. For many, it’s one of the more emotionally satisfying films of 2025.
The Ballad of Wallis Island is a quietly charming British comedy-drama directed by James Griffiths, written by and starring Tom Basden and Tim Key, alongside Carey Mulligan. The story centers on Charles, a lonely lottery winner living on a remote Welsh island, who invites his favorite folk duo—Herb McGwyer and Nell Mortimer—to reunite for a private performance. His motive isn’t just fandom; there are unresolved heartbreaks, nostalgia, and grief behind his idealistic gesture.
Critics are largely enamored with the film’s balance of humor and melancholy. Tim Key’s performance as Charles is praised for being endearingly awkward, verbose, and heart-on-sleeve, often using verbal wit to stave off silence. Basden as Herb, and Mulligan as Nell, deliver subtle, emotionally resonant performances, especially when the old romantic and artistic tensions surface—and you begin to feel what’s been lost, as well as what hope might remain. The original music is another highlight; the songs feel lived in, and the film uses them not as spectacle, but as emotional anchors.
Some reviewers point out that the premise is familiar—a fan’s devotee, reunited artists, romantic regrets—but argue that the execution elevates it.
CRITICS ROUNDUP
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The Talented Mr Ripley
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When he gets there, the lies come thick and fast as he becomes embroiled in the lives of Dickie and his fiancée Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) who both live a life he so desires. A first-rate, sumptuously photographed thriller, The Talented Mr Ripley features fantastic performances by its stars and supporting players, including a young Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Universally praised and awarded upon its release, its tense and criminally stylish thrills have only improved with age
Critics Roundup
Sumptuous, sinister, and flawlessly performed
Matt Damon stars as the titular Mr Ripley, a low-level schemer in 1950s New York. When Ripley is mistaken for a Princeton grad at a party by a wealthy older man named Herbert Greenleaf, he goes along with the story and agrees to travel to Italy to persuade Greenleaf’s son – an actual Princeton grad named Dickie (Jude Law) – to return to America.