Wah-Wah is a 2005 drama film, written and directed by British actor Richard E. Grant, and loosely based on his childhood in Swaziland. Filmed and set in Swaziland, the film was premiered at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival, and also opened the Edinburgh Festival to critical acclaim. It received a gala screening at the East End Film Festival in London. The film received a limited release in the United States on 5 May 2006. With this semi-autobiographical tale of his childhood in Swaziland during the last gasp of the British Empire, Grant relates the story of Ralph Compton, whose family’s disintegration mirrors the end of British rule. After witnessing his mother's adultery with his father's best friend, Ralph must survive not only boarding school, but his beloved father's remarriage to Ruby, a fast-talking American airline stewardess, and his gradual descent into alcoholism. |