People walk long trails for a variety of reasons. In many cases, it’s to work through and get past something traumatic, extracting a person from a triggering environment to give them some time to heal. In others, however, it’s out of necessity since they simply have no place to live. The Salt Path tells the true story of a couple who lost their home and decided to set out together on an ambitious 630-mile walk to find some sense of purpose as they struggled to get back on their feet and somehow look ahead to the future.
The opening scene of this film finds Ray (Gillian Anderson) and Moth (Jason Isaacs) desperately trying to rescue their tent from being washed away as their overnight camping spot is now treacherously close to the strong waves thanks to the tide. The narrative jumps back and forth between the start of their travels on the South West Coast Path from Dorset to Somerset and explaining their circumstances, involving an unfortunate business deal that resulted in their farm home being taken, leaving them with nothing. Ray carefully withdraws a small sum of money from her debit card every time they reach a new town, well aware that they can’t afford to splurge on a filling meal or they won’t have enough left for the next time they’re hungry.
This true story is more than compelling enough on its own, and this film’s responsibility is to translate it in a cinematic way for audiences to be able to appreciate. Four time Tony Award-winning director Marianne Elliott makes her feature film debut behind the camera with this affecting tale anchored by two actors who have all the heavy lifting to do as they walk and walk with large backpacks carrying everything they could possibly need, or at least what they were able to bring with him. It’s an impressive first film for a director who clearly has a way with both actors and sets, taking full advantage of the beauty that Ray and Moth see on their journey but aren’t always able to fully stop and appreciate.
Anderson and Isaacs are a strong pair, and it’s good to see the two familiar TV faces, who several decades ago anchored The X-Files and Brotherhood, respectively, and more recently appeared in The Crown and Star Trek: Discovery. Anderson wears the weight of the world on her face, particularly in one scene where Ray mimes chewing along with a woman eating an appetizing meal because she hasn’t eaten enough and can’t afford to buy her own. Isaacs, who with a full gray beard is a dead ringer for Sam Neill, fleshes out Moth’s pride and passion as well as the physical condition from which he suffers which makes this arduous walk all the bolder.
As compared with other films about solitary journeys like Wild and The Way, this film features a core difference, which is that its protagonists aren’t alone. They’re also not doing this out of guilt or regret but rather to literally keep on moving as their lives have come crashing to a halt. While it’s not always rapidly-paced, this film is consistent and pays tribute to its real-life inspirations, coming back throughout to the strong bond its married characters have. Even though their backstory needs to be told, this film is all about moving forward, and it appropriately places the emphasis on how these two remain by each other’s side and aim to chart a future together without dwelling on what they’ve endured. It’s an inspiring sentiment brought to endearing life by these two talented actors.
Grade: B
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The Salt Path makes its world premiere in the Special Presentations section at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.