A reminder of humanity at its best: Lord Bates reviews 'The Salt Path'
Moth & Raynor Winn: played by Jason Isaacs & Gillian Anderson | Image by: FlixPix / Alamy Stock Photo
5 min read
This film, about love and having the courage to start afresh, may be slow-paced and understated – but it’s all the more authentic for it
In an age when media communication highlights the very worst of human behaviour, The Salt Path reminds us of the very best. In a society that can laud victimhood and grievance, The Salt Path reminds us that peace can be found in acceptance and letting go. When we are told to be distrustful of others, The Salt Path reminds us of the incredible kindness of strangers. When we are pummelled by pessimism, The Salt Path fills us with hope. The movie is, as the mixed reviews tell us, “not for everyone” – but it should be.
Raynor Winn Played by Gillian Anderson & Moth Winn Played by Jason Isaacs | Image by: Capital Pictures / Alamy Stock Photo
Based on a real-life story, the film is about a married couple in their 50s, Raynor and Moth Winn (Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs). Originally from Staffordshire, they had made their home in Wales, on a smallholder farm, which they had lovingly renovated over the course of 30 years. Moth, the husband, had invested in a friend’s business without realising that he would share responsibility for the losses if it failed. But fail it did, and as a result they lost their savings and their home too.
As they prepare to move out, a routine hospital appointment leads to the discovery that Moth has CBD, a rare neurodegenerative disease – and terminal. The symptoms include memory loss and movement disorders resulting weakened limbs on one side. Everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. Yet Raynor picks up an old guidebook about the South West Coast Path national trail and turns to Moth and says: “I think we should just walk.” With that, they close the door on their past and open the door to a new future.
I can relate to that moment. The moment the call to walk becomes irresistible. For me, it was a decision to walk from Holy Island in Northumberland to Durham Cathedral, a distance of just over 80 miles. For Raynor and Moth, it was from Minehead to Land’s End on the first leg of the 630-mile coastal path. Like Raynor and Moth, I had no previous experience of walking. My kids would remind me I was “more ‘beer & grills’ than Bear Grylls”. Most people prevaricate with notions of getting fit, saving up and getting the right gear, but preparation can often be a cover for procrastination; the best advice is to just go with what you’ve got.
I can relate to that moment. The moment the call to walk becomes irresistible
The film is told mostly on the coastal walk with its spectacular scenery, and the backstory is filled in via flashbacks. The choice of well-known actors for the lead roles was an unusual one. Moth is played by Jason Isaacs, an established English actor of stage and screen – in blockbuster movies like Black Hawk Down (2001). Raynor is played by Gillian Anderson, best known for her role as Special Agent Scully in the X-Files (1993-2002) – though the biggest impression she had made on me was, of course, playing Margaret Thatcher in season four of The Crown. It’s an odd combination of acting chemistry but, like salted caramel, somehow it works.
It works because the relationship between Raynor and Moth is one of genuine love and devotion. The care they have for each other shines through the dark challenges they face together. It is a lesson in Staffordshire stoicism. There appears to be no problem that cannot be solved by a mug of tea, especially with a used teabag. It is understated, slow-paced, but all the more authentic for it. The film doesn’t try too hard but just lets the story gently unfold before us.
My only criticism is that this is sold as a movie about walking, or Cornwall, but it’s not really. It’s about love and having the courage to start afresh. It is about finding joy in the simple things, the free things, the freshly picked roadside blackberry. It is about being reunited with nature. At one point, a local tells them: “People fight the elements, the weather, especially here, but when it’s touched you, when you let it be, you’re never the same again.”
Its strength lies in the fact that it’s not a fictional story but a lived experience. Raynor kept scribbled notes from their journey, and when they finished she wrote them up and gave them to Moth as a gift. It was all she had. The gift turned into a book, which sold over a million copies. True, it’s not for everyone, but it would be a better and kinder world if it were.
Lord Bates is a Conservative peer and former minister, he has walked over 11,000 miles through over 30 countries, raising over £750,000 for charitable causes
The Salt Path
Directed by: Marianne Elliott
Screenplay: Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Broadcaster: General cinema release
