Set against the headlands of England’s South West Coast Path, middle-aged Moth and Ray Winn might look like day hikers without a care. But a closer look shows the cracks, yes, the pain etched into their faces—physical pain and otherwise. What we might be slow to realize is that this couple is beginning a very long and a very important walk.
After all, the Winns have lost their money, their livelihood, and their farm. What else could they do but begin a 630-mile walk around England’s coast?
In this movie suffering abounds. The first bit is painful to watch as Moth, a victim of a degenerative neurological disease, groans through each step. And Ray? She looks every bit like a woman who’s lost everything. She should. She has.
And then as they walk forward, the moments in nature invite them into—what?—rest? If not quite rest, then somewhere that’s profound and quiet. The light breaking in far clouds. The new mood of the sea. The soaring bird. A smile begins to twitch at the drooping corners of Ray’s mouth. And we viewers smile too. The Salt Path has begun its magic.
The Salt Path stars two very capable actors: Gillian Anderson from X-Files fame and Jason Issacs from Case Histories and the Harry Potter series. They’re wonderful in this drama for mature viewers. And why do I say “mature”? This is not so much because of content—although there is one scene of marital sexuality—but because of its themes. Someone needs age and a long marriage to get it.
Salt itself becomes a key metaphor—refreshing in its value of hard-won maturity. A stranger approaches the couple and says, “People here fight the elements, but when it’s touched you, you’ll never be the same again. I see it on your faces. You’ve been touched. You’ve been salted.”
Wise words and beautiful.
Too bad serious controversy (a.k.a. truth-telling in a memoir) surrounds this compelling adult drama. Writer Sally Walker, who wrote the memoir this is based on and who is Ray Winn in the story, has been charged with misrepresenting why the farm was lost and facts about Moth’s disease.
It’s a worthy film and taken on its own—apart from Walker’s book—it’s a refreshing story about a mature marriage and what it takes to remain loving and committed. (Amazon Prime).