Nostalgia and the ache of moving on permeate every frame of The Ballad of Wallis Island, lending an air of precious sentimentality that threatens to slide into the saccharine. But James Griffiths’ tender comedy-drama also has a ton of heart, a generosity of spirit and an ultimately disarming sweetness that make it sneak up on you, cynicism be damned. It’s also quite funny, in an eccentric, decidedly British way that you either tap into or you don’t. Imagine John Carney’s Once plonked down in the middle of a reluctant buddy movie about finding hope in loss and you’re halfway there.

There’s probably no way to describe the film without making it sound twee. But the performances are so lived-in that what could have been an overdose of whimsy instead acquires emotional substance in its reflections on life, above all on accepting the sadness and regrets...