Set at the end of the 1960s, as Swaziland is about to receive independence from United Kingdom, the film follows the young Ralph Compton, at 12, through his parents' traumatic separation, till he's 14.
Acting
Emily Watson's Ruby—chaotic, heartbreaking, impossible to look away.
Direction
Grant's first film, deeply personal, every frame bleeds memory.
Writing
"Wah-wah" as family code—devastating in its intimacy.
Director
Richard E. Grant
Nicholas Hoult
Ralph Compton - 14 years
Gabriel Byrne
Harry Compton
Emily Watson
Ruby Compton
Julie Walters
Gwen Traherne
Miranda Richardson
Lauren Compton
Celia Imrie
Lady Riva Hardwick
Julian Wadham
Charles Bingham
Fenella Woolgar
June Broughton
John Matshikiza
Dr. Zim Mzimba
John Carlisle
Sir Giffard Hardwick
Michael Richard
Tobias
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Grant wrote this in six weeks after his father's death, filming in his actual childhood home in Swaziland.
The 1968 independence backdrop isn't decorative—it's the film's silent character, the end of empire mirroring one family's collapse.
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