The Salt Path

The Plot: Raynor (Gillian Anderson) and her husband Moth (Jason Isaacs) are at a crossroads in their life. Moth has been diagnosed with a rare degenerative brain disease, which will gradually eat away at his mental faculties and limit his mobility. They’ve also lost their home and now find themselves short on money and with nowhere to go. They need some time out to think, so they set out to walk the southwest coast of England trail over the course of one year and 630 miles…

The Verdict: There’s something both healing and comforting about the quiet power of nature. When problems become so large that they seem insurmountable, being out in the open with the birds, bees, wind and tides gives one a firm sense of perspective. Just ask Raynor and Moth Winn, who lost nearly everything in a tragic set of circumstances but gradually fought their way back to life and a purpose. Raynor Winn documented this in her book The Salt Path which became a hit… and now it’s a dramatised movie adapted by Rebecca Lenkiewicz and directed by a first-timer, Marianne Elliott. The result is another of those life-affirming films about characters going on a long walk of their own accord (e.g. The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry). In the time-honoured tradition of this type of film, it’s not the destination but the journey itself that counts.

There is a genuinely moving story at work here about a real-life couple rebuilding their lives from the ground up. Theatre director Elliott finds her feet here by placing herself – and the audience – in the well-worn hiking boots of the main characters early on as they continue on their trek. She then flashes back occasionally but briefly to what brought Raynor and Moth to this point in their lives. This subverts the obvious chronological approach to a story like this, which in turn neatly sidesteps the potential trap of sentimentality around Moth’s condition. It’s enough to see him struggle up a hill or collapse every now and then, but on they must go even when they run out of money and rely on the kindness of strangers. That’s an aspect of the story that Elliott has captured well – a sense of unexpected community and even a dash of theatricality when Moth breaks out Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf to an intrigued audience for an impromptu poetry recital.

Elliott fares less well with the meandering nature of both the script and the walk itself. The film can at times be unfocused, lacking a definitive end goal while the decision to go on The Salt Path is a spur-of-the-moment one which needed a bit more logical reasoning given Moth’s mobility issues. This is where two veteran actors can elevate the material beyond what’s on the page so that the cracks in the script and wobbles in the direction are less noticeable. Jason Isaacs has long been a consistently excellent actor (e.g. 2021’s Mass), but is often under the radar and doesn’t always get his dues. He brings a warm humanity to Moth, a twinkle in his eye and a self-deprecating sense of humour which keeps him grounded. He’s well complimented by Gillian Anderson, whose raw concern for Moth is touching. They keep the film afloat and bring it home with conviction. The Salt Path has some rocky patches, but the two leads smooth it out and ultimately make it worth the long journey to a new home.

Rating: 3 / 5

Review by Gareth O’Connor