The Salt Path

The uttlery mediocre screenplay might be explained by a misplaced, arrogant and eventually desperate hope that a superb source material (the original book) paired with the talented Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, supplemented with shots of coastal views would be enough. It was never going to be enough.

Poor writing, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Lucia Zucchetti and Gareth C. Scales, was the crumbling foundation for this project.

Strikingly, the audience experience is akin to watching 6 hours of unedited documentary footage where a middle-aged couple forgot to, or didn't know how to switch off their GoPro. Albeit with a postcard perfect frame or two, bled grey with stagnant, unrivetting, gloomy dialogue, a flashback or two, and tonnes of tedious exposition.

No aspect of this film makes up for nor can carry the burden of this seemingly endless 2-hour-long running time (only?!) - time that one will never get back.

Tragically for the amazingly resilient real-life heroes of Salt Path, the painfully slow pace of Rebecca Lenkiewicz's lacklustre writing and the astoundingly unskilled editing by two paid professionals (Lucia Zucchetti and Gareth C. Scales) only makes viewers urge these characters on to whatever their end, good or bad - put everyone out of their misery - anything to make this film end sooner!

NOTE TO PRODUCTION; There must have opportunities between the table read stage (gosh, perhaps there wasn't one..) And deep inside the post-production bunkers when each and every head of department surely realised you were throwing good money after bad by not cutting your losses and canning this. What a waste.

*Credit and respect to the actors for completing this. Gosh. They trusted you!!!

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.

There is no doubt that what drew me to this movie was the casting of Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaac. Two supreme actors who continue to enthrall me and entertain. I soon became engrossed in the story and was mesmerised by both actors, whose performances brought into stark reality the awful circumstances of their characters. Tragic, dramatic but heartwarming this is not a movie of sensations but it is gritty realism. Great production and wonderful images of the beautiful south west of England are a great backdrop to this harrowing journey that set a stunning contrast to the pain and anguish of the plight of the two. Hats off to Gillian and Jason for very fine performances and for recreating the accents and manner of speech of the midlands characters. This film impressed me and left me wanting more.