The Salt Path

Very disappointed with this film. I enjoyed the book but the film never captured the essence of their story. Gillian was weak and the dialogue very hard to hear. The change from the book was frustrating and we didn't see the South coast. We didn't need to see the sex scene. It trashed the book. So sorry the film makers didn't develop the truth behind the walk. I can't understand when you have a good story to tell and the narrative of the book that the film relied so heavily on the scenery. Feedback, rather than list the miles, tell us where they actually were in Cornwall. Spent today feeling sad the film such a disappointment.

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.

I knew nothing of the source material memoir (never even knew it existed), so that didn't color my experience. As a man in his early 60s, what I saw was an authentic relationship of a middle-aged couple embarking on a journey to put a crisis behind them, still deeply in love despite it all and there for each other, support each other and rest in one another. The screenplay might have felt meandering at times, but that's because it's not the three-act "Hero's Journey" we're used to. Moth and Ray are literally trying to find their way after their life is upended, and the characters they meet along that path are various aspects of life. If you're willing to let things unfold, highly recommended.

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.

A tough watch for anyone who enjoys cinema or literature, THE SALT PATH is the big screen adaptation of Raynor Winn's memoir chronicling the walking holiday around the Cornish coast she took with her husband. I've had the misfortune to read Winn's heavily fictionalised book, and this screen version is even further from reality, heavily dramatised to the degree that another reviewer describing the events depicted as 'authentic' made me laugh out loud. Anderson and Isaacs are both reliable performers - although the former's Staffordshire accent is an unwise choice - but this is an extremely tedious watch, not particularly funny or engaging, with only the natural scenery to recommend it. Even worse, I saw this in the cinema, so there was no getting away, and it takes forever to end as well. A nightmare!