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The Salt Path (film)

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The Salt Path
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMarianne Elliott
Screenplay byRebecca Lenkiewicz
Based onThe Salt Path
by Raynor Winn
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyHélène Louvart
Music byChris Roe[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byBlack Bear UK
Release dates
  • 5 September 2024 (2024-09-05) (TIFF)
  • 30 May 2025 (2025-05-30) (United Kingdom)
Running time
115 minutes[2]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$17 million[3]

The Salt Path is a 2024 British biographical drama film directed by Marianne Elliott and written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, based on the 2018 memoir by Raynor Winn. The film stars Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.

The film premiered in the Special Presentations section at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2024, and was released in the United Kingdom by Black Bear UK on 30 May 2025.

The Salt Path received mixed reviews from critics, who admired the cinematography and the performances by the leading actors, but that it was let down by the script.

Plot

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A married couple, Raynor (wife) and Moth (husband) Winn, set out to walk the South West Coast Path starting in Minehead. There are several flashbacks that culminate with them being evicted from their farm and home, and Moth being diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration, a rare, degenerative and terminal disease, as well as flashforwards to some of the challenges ahead of them. A letter which could have prevented the eviction is mentioned repeatedly, but the judge refused to accept it as evidence. Ultimately they set out to walk the trail as detailed by Paddy Dillon in his guidebook "The South West Coast Path", as it seems to be their only option to survive on their only source of income, £40 weekly from Working Tax Credit, a form of state benefit.

So they set out on 630-mile (1,010 km) South West Coast Path, from Minehead to Poole around the coasts of Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, and Dorset. On the walk, they come to terms with the shame associated with homelessness and the scorn of some people they meet; others offer sympathy and assistance. As they walk, Moth slowly grows in strength.

As winter draws in, a friend, Polly, offers them the opportunity to stay in her shed if they will renovate it for her. They spend the winter there; Polly also hooks Raynor up with a job helping with sheep shearing which brings in ₤1500. At the end of their stay, Moth forms a plan to study sustainable farming at Plymouth University, hoping that he'll secure a student loan which the couple could live on. In the spring, they resume the Coast Path.

Title cards at the end state that they completed the walk and were offered temporary accommodation by a stranger; Moth completed his studies and both worked in agriculture; meanwhile, Ray wrote up her travel notes and published her book The Salt Path, which became a bestseller.

Cast

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Production

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In 2023, Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs were cast in an adaptation of the 2018 book The Salt Path. The film was directed by Marianne Elliott in her feature directorial debut, and written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz. The producers were Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley, Lloyd Levin, and Beatriz Levin. The production company was Number 9 Films, with BBC Film and LipSync financing and Black Bear Pictures acquiring UK distribution rights.[4][5] In July 2023, James Lance and Hermione Norris joined the cast.[6]

Filming took place in Chepstow in Monmouthshire, and in Aust, Gloucestershire, in June 2023,[7] and on East Head at West Wittering, West Sussex.

The Salt Path film set at East Head on West Wittering
The Salt Path film set at East Head on West Wittering

Principal photography started in Somerset in July 2023; filming locations included Minehead and Porlock Weir in Somerset, Lynton to Heddon's Mouth, as well as Ilfracombe, Clovelly and Hartland Quay in Devon. Filming locations in Cornwall included Padstow, Fistral Beach, Port Quin, Holywell Bay, and Rame Head.[8][9][10]

Raynor Winn said of the film that it had brought her "straight back" to the difficult emotions she had felt when evicted and her husband Moth had had his terminal diagnosis. She recalled the day that Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs had come to the door of her house, feeling "That's not what is supposed to happen to [an ordinary] girl from Melton Mowbray".[11]

Anderson said she was surprised how defensive Raynor was, noting also the author's "steeliness".[12] Anderson agreed that it must have been an experience to have famous actors arrive to play you. Conversely, Raynor commented that she had wondered how an actor as "perfect and glamorous" as Anderson could portray her in the rawness of her state on the walk.[12]

Release

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The Salt Path had its world premiere as part of the Special Presentations lineup at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2024.[13][14] The film had preview screenings in Australia from 4 May 2025, with its official release on 15 May.[15][16] The UK release date was 30 May 2025.[17]

Reception

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On Rotten Tomatoes the film had a rating of 86% based on reviews from 21 critics.[18] On Metacritic the film had a weighted average score of 47% based on reviews from four critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[19]

Clarisse Loughrey, in The Independent, writes that The Salt Path offers an "emotionally tidy" presentation of the chaos that major life shocks can bring. In her view, the "shame and exhaustion" of Ray, a woman whose lifelong security has been torn from her, is "etched on Anderson's face", and Anderson "studiously presents those emotions".[20] Isaacs, too, she writes, takes great care to show Moth's feelings, alongside the shaking hands and stiffness of a man suffering from CBD.[20] But that said, in Loughrey's view, the film fails to present the humanity of the couple, aside from their burdens. Nor does it show any of the deeper issues, like the "failed systems" (of law, of social security) that put them in this crisis. The result is "yet another pat story about how reconnecting with nature is good for the soul", cue Anderson listening to birdsong.[20]

Tim Robey, writing in The Daily Telegraph, says that the film, Elliott's first after successful theatre productions like War Horse in London's West End, tackles "important points about homelessness" but that it is let down by the script.[21] He calls the drama "modestly scaled", with a "genuinely funny" incident when people mistake Moth for the wandering poet laureate Simon Armitage, and invite him and Ray to their home, only to be horrified in a "pin-drop silence" when Ray tells them Moth isn't the poet.[21] Robey finds Isaacs' performance "grittily believable" throughout, while Anderson shines as if "gazing out at her own ruin" in a play by Samuel Beckett.[21] He admires the experienced Hélène Louvart's cinematography, but writes that however craggy the coastal rocks, Anderson's face reflects the warmth of the sun whenever it comes out.[21]

Cath Clarke of The Guardian writes that "Elliott handles their story gently, with patience – though it might feel a bit slow for some."[22] She finds the scene where Ray goes to a cash machine, not knowing if there will be enough money to live on for the week, an "edge-of-the-seat moment".[22] She describes the film as intelligent and impressive, and the SouthWest Coast landscape "gorgeous". In her view, the film manages to give sincerity to familiar messages like living in each moment and having even a long-standing relationship grow unexpectedly.[22]

In July 2025, not long after the release of the film, The Observer published an article challenging the two events that led to the walk described in the original memoir, namely Moth's terminal diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration and the circumstances that led the Winns to be evicted from their house.[23] In response to the Observer article, Winn stated that the report was "highly misleading".[24][25] The two companies that produced the film adaptation, Number 9 Films and Shadowplay Features, stated that no issues were known at the time of filming, and that due diligence had been carried out.[26]

References

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  1. ^ "Deze muziek van Chris Roe hoor je in 'The Salt Path'". NPO Klassiek (in Dutch). 7 May 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  2. ^ "The Salt Path (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 21 March 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  3. ^ "The Salt Path (2025) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  4. ^ Bamigboye, Baz (16 May 2023). "Breaking Baz: Gillian Anderson & Jason Isaacs Set For Film Adaptation Of Bestseller 'The Salt Path' As Director Marianne Elliott Makes Switch From Stage To Screen — Cannes Market". Deadline. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  5. ^ Calnan, Ellie (16 May 2023). "Gillian Anderson, Jason Isaacs to star in Marianne Elliott's feature debut 'The Salt Path'". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  6. ^ Bamigboye, Baz (11 July 2023). "'Ted Lasso' Star James Lance And 'Cold Feet's Hermione Norris Join Gillian Anderson And Jason Isaacs In 'The Salt Path'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  7. ^ Barnes, Dan (21 June 2023). "Gillian Anderson, Jason Isaacs filming Salt Path in Chepstow". South Wales Argus. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  8. ^ King, Natalie (18 February 2025). "Cornwall locations where The Salt Path was filmed - from quaint towns to famous bay". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  9. ^ Pickstock, Heather (30 June 2023). "X Files star Gillian Anderson in Somerset as filming starts on new movie". Somerset Live. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  10. ^ Mockridge, Harry (18 February 2025). "Somerset locations in new film starring Gillian Anderson". Somerset County Gazette. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  11. ^ Dayman, Ady; O'Grady, Conor (30 May 2025). "Woman who inspired Hollywood film relives emotions". BBC News. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  12. ^ a b Gilbey, Ryan (30 May 2025). "Walk on the wild side: Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs on their epic hiking movie The Salt Path". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  13. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (13 August 2024). "TIFF Adds 20 More Movies To Lineup With 'Saturday Night', Jacob Elordi & Daisy Edgar-Jones' 'On Swift Horses', Max Minghella's 'Shell', 'Megalopolis' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  14. ^ "The Salt Path". TIFF. 5 September 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  15. ^ "The Salt Path". Palace Cinemas. Archived from the original on 1 May 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  16. ^ "Movie session times & tickets in Australian cinemas". Flicks.com.au. 9 May 2025. Archived from the original on 9 May 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  17. ^ "The Salt Path". UK Cinema Release Dates. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  18. ^ "The Salt Path". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  19. ^ "The Salt Path critic reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  20. ^ a b c Loughrey, Clarisse (29 May 2025). "The Salt Path is a tale of homelessness that's just too neat and tidy". The Independent.
  21. ^ a b c d Robey, Tim (29 May 2025). "The Salt Path: Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs are weighed down by their script". The Telegraph.
  22. ^ a b c Clarke, Cath (28 May 2025). "The Salt Path review – Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs hike from ruin to renewal". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  23. ^ Hadjimatheou, Chloe (5 July 2025). "The real Salt Path: how the couple behind a bestseller left a trail of debt and deceit". The Observer.
  24. ^ McIntosh, Steven (7 July 2025). "The Salt Path author defends herself against claims she misled readers". BBC News.
  25. ^ McIntosh, Steven (9 July 2025). "The Salt Path: Raynor Winn hits back at claims she misled readers". BBC News. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  26. ^ Creamer, Ella (7 July 2025). "Author of bestselling memoir The Salt Path accused of lying". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
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