The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Harold Fry (Jim Broadbent) is getting on in life. He doesn't feel it though, drifting through it as he has. Until one day he receives an unexpected letter. Setting off to the postbox with his reply, Harold finds himself reluctant to take the easy option, a choice that rewards him with a series of life lessons that will warm your heart... or roll your eyes depending on your level of cynicism. It's called The Unlikely Pilgrimage of... and it certainly is. Harold setting out to walk from his home in Devon to see his dying friend Queenie (Linda Bassett), who lives in Berwick-upon-Tweed. Bonkers right? His wife Maureen (Penelope Wilton) certainly thinks so. He's not exactly prepared and there's no plan, but he learns as he goes. As do we. It's got an air of fantasy, but remains oddly anchored through his somewhat predicable rather British adventures, although it does valiantly attempt to throw the odd curveball. Essentially it's one big visual metaphor as we learn that Harold hasn't always been in touch with his feelings or those of others, but for all its blunt plot points, it is quaintly inspirational. It's nicely shot too and achieves the feeling of Harold's journey across the country, showing England off in a rather beautiful light. Broadbent is brilliant. Simple delivery, understated, that warmth in his face filling the screen. The supporting cast too, from a brief cameo with Claire Rushbrook, all too brief glimpses of Earl Cave as Harold's remembered son and his somewhat adopted one Daniel Frogson, who as Wilf is the first of many to tag along. It's as much about Harold though, as it is about Maureen left at home. Their relationship, what it's been missing. What they need as people, maybe what we all need. Despite all this loftiness, it's not a great film, but regardless I really enjoyed it. Understanding what drives Harold, there's more to this than what's put on the screen.

The story of Harold Fry's 500 mile walk from Devon to the English border with Scotland is well translated to the big screen by director Hettie MacDonald in this low key but very watchable film. When retired Brewery manager Harold (Jim Broadbent) receives a letter from an old work colleague that she is dying in a hospice at the the other end of the country in Berwick-upon-Tweed, he writes a letter. However feeling it is not enough, he cannot bring himself to post it and, after talking to a shopgirl in a petrol station, decides on the spot to walk to see her, leaving his wife Maureen (Penelope Wilton) sick with worry and frantic about being on her own. As Harold makes his way up north his 'Pilgrimage' starts to become public knowledge and he soon attracts a following on both social media and then the headline news. On the journey he meets an assortment of characters, from a well meaning and helpful Slovakian woman, a woman on a farm, a stranger at a railway station, a pill popping confused 18 year old, a stray dog and a small following of people who want to join his pilgrimage. And as Harold makes his journey we start to learn that his life and relationship with Maureen is not as boring as it seems, for beneath the surface he is masking a terrible tragedy and a fractured relationship.

The story might be slight but I found it nonetheless compelling. Both Broadbent and Wilton produce powerful performances and as the film progresses their characters personalities start to make sense. The film is also well made and full of good performances and doesn't feel overlong.

If you've seen the Timothy Spall film 'The Last Bus' (2021), the Robert Redford film 'A Walk in the Woods' (2015) or the Emilio Estevez/Martin Sheen film 'The Way' (2010) then some of this may seem vaguely familiar to you as, like them, this is a gentle road movie that is in part, about using the journey as a way of self discovery and confronting ones own emotional issues that will appeal to older viewers in particular. It is a well acted drama with a ring of truth to it that should appeal to those enjoy gentle drama.

In a bid to avoid the rush of people going to see Guardians this weekend I decided to catch up on last weeks new release that I unfortunately missed. The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry is one of those small British films that we maybe get once or twice a year that are mainly targeted towards the older generation. The film takes next to no time to get going as it opens with Harold played by the always brilliant Jim Broadbent receiving a letter from an old friend. The letter reads that Queenie who Harold used to work with but hasn't seen for a long time has been admitted to a hospice and is in the final stages of cancer. Initially Harold writes a letter back but on his way to the post office he meets someone who changes his mind and he decides to walk from the south of England to the North some just under 500 miles as he believes he can save Queenies life by doing so. This film is very much about people, the good, the bad and the human spirit of being able to make mistakes in life but not having to feel like those mistakes define you. Along his journey we learn a lot about Harold and his life and ultimately the real reason he has embarked on his journey but I won't say any more as not to spoil it. I think the thing this film surprised me the most with was that it's really deep and real and I left the cinema actually feeling quite emotional rather than uplifted as you'd perhaps expect with this type of thing. Yes some of the pacing isn't perfect and heck perhaps you wanted a feel good film but this was different and it gave me something I look for in films which is great writing that accurately represents real human emotion. I thought this film was really thought provoking and despite the somber mood it left me in I also left feeling that as humans we don't have to change the world, sometimes just giving someone a smile on a day when they're really struggling can make the world of difference to them. I can't recommend this film enough, especially if you like thought provoking drama but if you do go and see it perhaps tell your partner where you're going first.

Lovely movie, with the ever so lovely Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton as the typical retired couple, going about their humdrum lives, until the post arrives from an old friend of Harold's. Life just isn't the same again, as something inside Harold beckons him on a journey, which unfolds the reason of why he must take the journey. Wonderfully captured, but I kept thinking I had watched it before. And I had. The equally excellent Timothy Spall in the Last Bus, travelling the length of the UK with his wife's ashes to the place they met in Lands End. If you like Jim Broadbent as Harold Fry, you will love Timothy Spall in The Last Bus.

This might not win many awards or get critical acclaim, but it will probably make you cry and certainly make you think about life.

A poignant film, which Broadbent shines as much as he ever has. From the people he meets along the way to the affect his decisions have on those he leaves behind. It's a beautiful story of a simple act that one man made to try to bring some meaning and importance to a life that was just originate but full of regret.

A very good way to spend a few hours, especially if you have someone in your life who is struggling with an illness. There's probably a lot more you could do for them.