The Salt Path

As Ray and Moth are on the cusp of retirement, they lose their home and savings in one unlucky swoop. To make things worse Moth is diagnosed with a rare and terminal neurodegenerative disease. In a "glory before death" type of decision, the distraught couple begins a journey on the Salt Path. The 630-mile trail runs along the English coast from Dorset to Somerset. Through good and bad moments including rainstorms, rude people, snoring, physical exhaustion, limping, humor, beautiful scenery, unexpectedly profound moments of insight, deep realizations about each other, and natural wonders, Moth and Ray discover a new definition of "home."

I believe deeply in the healing power of nature for body, heart, mind, and soul. When I go into the natural world, whether in joy or pain, I exit renewed and hopeful. All my life this has been true. This inspiring true story backs up this cherished belief. Along the Salt Path the wonders of nature are experienced in the bird songs, ocean swells, curious seals, sunsets, resplendent forests, and more.

The Salt Path is based on a 2018 memoir of the same name. Director Marianne Elliott relies less on the words of the book, and more on the actual experience of the trail. At this world premiere screening of the film at the Toronto International Film Festival, Elliott said it was challenging to film on location, but the results were worth the cost. Agreed, for the trail is stunningly serene and it speaks for itself.

The recent revelations about the criminal actions of the author, and questions raised about her husband's medical condition, have cast a shadow over both the book and this film. However, if we can set these aside, and watch it as a scenic ramble round Britain's beautiful south west coastline, it's a pleasantly enjoyable film, if not entirely original in its content, or moral message. There have been a number of dramas showing an individual, or, in this case, a couple, who, after suffering some personal reverse, decide to drop everything and set off on a long distance hike. Along the way they learn a valuable lesson about their own strengths and weaknesses, and the importance of the kindness of strangers. This is broadly the message of this film too, which ticks the life-affirming boxes, without saying anything terribly original. The reasons for them being in such a difficult position are skated over very quickly at the start - given the recent controversy that's probably just as well - though as a set up for the rest of the plot, it does feel a bit rushed.

I was lucky enough to see the film at the Picturehouse Central, Piccadilly Circus, with a Q&A afterwards where the writer Raynor Winn, director Marianne Elliott and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz were joined by actor Jason Isaacs who played Raynor's real life husband Moth.

I'm going to stick my neck out here and maybe even provoke a bit of negativity by saying that isn't a great film.

Don't get me wrong, I anticipate it getting a very solid if not outstanding imdb rating around the 6.7 mark but purely as a film this isn't up there with a work of fiction like say The Shawshank Redemption or even a film based on a true story like The Pursuit of Happyness.

But if you stopped reading there you'd miss a lot about this film and whether you should watch it - because for all of its shortcomings I think a lot of people will enjoy this film and I'd go so far as to say love this film.

So the Salt Path is a film based on the book by the same name by Raynor Winn about a wild camping coastal walk she and her husband undertook following a sudden downturn in their financial fortunes meaning they effectively became homeless late in middle age losing all the material wealth they had worked for in life up to that point. Don't worry by the way, there are no spoilers here and nothing I say will go much beyond what you'd glean from the trailer and film promotion interviews.

So the film is essentially a journey, metaphorically but also literally a long walk in South West England starting in Somerset and intercut with flashbacks. It's not a glamorous Hollywood Thelma and Louise style road trip in an open top car but a rather more reserved and parochial simple backpacking walk along the admittedly equally dramatic and beautiful scenery of the England coastline.

In fact with Moth - yes that's moth like in butterfly - the husband, he has an illness so it's not even a straightforward walk with him often clearly struggling and his wife Raynor, the writer of the book the film is based on, literally physically supporting him.

Now the character names are rather curious but this is a true story so they aren't made up. Moth is reminiscent of the moth that flies too close to the flame and winn is like winner which is ironic given the couple's change of fortunes, the nature of which is gradually revealed to us in flashbacks over the course of their journey.

In the Q&A after the screening reference was made to the film being a three hander with husband and wife of course but nature as the third hand - and there certainly are some beautiful shots of the natural world which provide a variously calming and dramatic backdrop to the physical, mental and emotional challenges faced by the protagonists. Jason Isaacs made the point however that there are other characters in the film and how they perceive and treat the couple is equally telling of humans and society in general and the sometimes flawed judgements we inevitably make.

But I did like this film, I even loved it in parts but by that I don't mean a particular narrative sequence or particular cinematic elements of the medium.

I didn't love it particularly for the story which is engaging though not molded to conform to the traditional Aristotelian dramatic three act or epic hero's journey form.

Neither for the acting which by Gillian and Jason especially is solid, believable and heartwarming.

Nor for the directing which gives us the shots and performances needed to tell the story.

Now Director Marianne Elliott comes from a theatre background and this is her first foray into film. In the Q&A she revealed she wanted her first film to have an older strong female protagonist and be cinematic, playing to the medium's strengths - in fact she chose the screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz for her ability to tell a story without words and the cinematography effortlessly shifts from intimate closeups of the couple to sweeping vista drone shots.

The editing in turn intrigues and satisfies to keep us engaged, the music is moving and the costume and make up well executed - I've never seen Anderson look so convincingly haggard in scenes and the bravery to show herself in that way reminded me of the similarly exceptionally beautiful Nicole Kidman in Destroyer.

But again none of these aspects are why I loved The Salt Path. So if not for story, acting, directing, cinematography, editing, music, costume or makeup then what?

Well, like Oppenheimer, which despite the awards and plaudits, is a very flawed film, this is an important story.

It's a story of the love and resilience of our protagonists but equally ther relationship with the natural world and its power to inspire and heal us - a magical and mystical power that is all the more astonishing by being around us and familiar to us every single day of our lives.

The sense in the film of the love between husband and wife is palpable and the characters themselves are intriguing. We are left wondering what they did in their lives up to where we meet them. Jason Isaac's character, Moth, is an affable polymath who can as easily turn his hand to a spot of DIY as literary analysis of epic poetry.

Now the film never brought me to tears even though the trailer almost did - not least because of the transcendent life affirming score by Chris Roe. And it didn't fill me with inspiration for what humans are capable of in the face of adversity. Neither did it thrill me with twists, turns and clever plot devices.

But what it did do is leave me with a feeling.

The feeling of a real sense of the love between the husband and wife protagonists. A feeling of optimism about our most intimate human relationships - by which I mean our relationships with each other but also our relationship with the natural world we are all part of.

I said this isn't a great film. And I stand by that. There are films that employ the many strengths of the medium better. But it's a film I enjoyed and in many ways loved. I came away from it feeling love - both for the storyteller and the truth behind the story itself.

So not a great film in the traditional sense. But a lovely film! And I wish it every success.

Thoroughly enjoyed the movie, because of the nature shots, intimate scènes between Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs and I just wanted to stay in that world a little longer. They are showing their real faces, wrinkles and spots and all, and I loved them for it.

I've read the book and I feel they followed it quite strictly. Seeing the movie gave me that extra time I would have liked after I finished the book.

The way the movie is written, it solves for 'endless walking scenes' by shocking you to life every 10m or so. Either by an event, the light, or music, or something. That was well thought through, so it's not just forever walking till boredom. At all.

The connection between Anderson and Isaacs feels genuine.

It's hopeful, adventurous, reinvigorating, and touches upon loss and homelessness in a not all-consuming way.

Based on the true story of Moth (Jason Isaacs) and Ray (Gillian Anderson) Winn, who after losing their house in an unspecified court procedure, discover that Moth has an incurable illness. Homeless, they decide to walk from Minehead to Land's End. After many difficulties and adventures they arrive, but with a brand new existential mindset based around 'home' being not their old farmhouse, but wherever they happen to be.

It's a lovely story written from Ray's 600 pages of notes she wrote during their journey, and in a nutshell sends a message of never give up, always keep hope, recognise what you have instead of what you haven't.

Isaacs plays an excellent part, Anderson is good, but lacks the depth of acting needed to make the role great. There's some beautiful countryside and great editing and all in all I give it a solid 7.