Salt Path – Film Review
by Brian Merriman

Director: Marianne Elliott
Writer: Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Based on a memoir by Raynor Winn
Starring: Jason Isaacs, Gillian Anderson, Hermione Morris
Cinematography: Helene Louvart

A review written before the controversy that got a bit lost (sorry)…Editor

Salt Path is based on a “true story” by the central character Raynor Winn.  It began as notes of their daily life on a long trek through rugged terrain. It culminates as a memorable film that uplifts in the face of adversity.

Set in spectacular coastal scenery, on the longest uninterrupted path in England, from Minehead to Poole around the coast of Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, and Dorset.  The views and cinematography alone keep you entertained for the two hours. But there is much more to this beautifully shot movie than the scenery.

An older couple, Moth and Ray Winn, intimately portrayed by Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs are made homeless after a draining battle to hold onto their family farm and livelihood. This is coupled with a diagnosis of the degenerative disease CBD. To add to their dilemmas, they now have five days to pack their lifetime belongings with nowhere to go.

A guidebook to the Salt Path, a hiking trail from Somerset to Land’s End, unexpectedly offers an option as they think through their uncertain future. With a tent on their back and very poor financial aid from “Benefits England” they endure steep inclines, an occasionally intemperate summer and an unpredictable but mesmeric rolling sea, as they walk, carry and survive. Helene Louvart’s cinematography is opulent, colourful and a spectacle of wildlife, landscape and sea.

This scenario has all the initial ingredients of a horror story – a disadvantaged couple, strangers, a desolate landscape, limited means and isolation. Happily, it is anything but that.

Salt Path is an intimate study of relationship, trauma, recovery and renewal, beautifully told on screen by writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz, based on Winn’s original memoir of the actual journey undertaken by this couple in crisis. This is Marianne Elliott’s feature directorial debut, and she has done a fine job. Her management of the wide open wilderness and scenes in the confined spaces, especially the rain-sodden tent, is so well delivered. She doesn’t miss a moment of the often unscripted communication between the highly skilled actors who portray the wandering couple.

There is a great realistic on-screen chemistry between Anderson and Isaacs. They completely hold our interest throughout the story, and Anderson’s sheep handling is yet another example of the skill and versatility of this quality performance. Isaac’s human portrayal of the symptoms of CBD and his optimism when faced with defeat or a future are impactful. They meet (normal) strangers along their 280-mile journey, with a strong cast of supporting roles, notably led by a Hermione Morris as a complex Polly.

It’s a story of long-term human love, challenge and condition, told at an ambulated pace with a glorious backdrop. But Moth and Ray Winn remain in our company as we leave the cinema. The film’s strengths are in its gentleness, love and a salt path that becomes a road map for understanding, that will inspire all ages.