What would you do if your life were turned completely upside-down after losing your home and everything within it? Would you hide from the world and hope that something will turn up? Or would you do what Raynor and Moth Winn did, pack the few belongings they had and walk across a coastal path to Land’s End? The Salt Path is based on Raynor Winn’s memoirs of this extraordinary journey, which is more about the power of love and nature than about just giving up.

After a shady business deal leaves the Winns at a disadvantage within the court system, they are forced to relinquish their farm. Moth, a proud man, is suffering from a debilitating disorder that is terminal. Yet, he and his wife decide to escape from their home, walking a coastal path and hoping to find a solution. However, what they see is something even more incredible.

Theatre director Marianne Elliott, making her feature debut, has taken the story from Raynor’s best selling book, and delivered a tale that is not only beautiful to look at, with its incredible shots of the south western coast and the small villages that are scattered around, but shown that even when hope is all but gone, that you can find something magical, regardless of the situation.

The film is told as a straightforward story, but more as a series of events, with flashbacks to the incidents that led the couple to their current position. What is more critical to Elliott is the couple’s resilience, no matter what is thrown at them. With just backpacks, a tent and the weekly amount of £40 a week that Moth gets for his illness benefit, the pair embark on this epic journey, even though Moth struggles with walking and is in constant pain.

Facing the elements, the blisters and the way that people approach them and their situation, there is one constant thing, and that is that these two people love each other and, regardless of the position they find themselves in, they are there for each other, supporting each other and caring for each other. Yet through this long walk, something remarkable happens that proves that sometimes, it’s the power of nature that can cure anything.

Where the film could have fallen down is believing that the two leads are a married couple who are following the wedding vows of “For richer for poorer, in sickness and in health”. What we get are two extraordinary performances from Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. Anderson has come a long way from her days on The X-Files, and this is a crowning glory for her. She brings so much empathy as Raynor, a woman trying to be as tough as she can be, not only coping with homelessness but also her husband’s illness. Anderson shines, her face etched with pain and heartache, yet a beauty still shines through, along with a determination. As Moth, Isaacs is equally magnificent as a man whose pride and health are being stripped away.

Equally good, it’s the pair’s chemistry that makes the film soar. You believe you are watching a couple who love each other. Moments of silence, where a simple look speaks volumes, reveal how these two feel about each other. Even when meeting strangers on their journey, they still have that connection, even at a distance.

The Salt Path is an extraordinary tale of hope. Like a British version of Nomadland, this is a film that will lift your spirits, and a tear or two may be shed; ultimately, it’s a tale of the human will to keep going, no matter what the situation.

4 out of 5

Director: Marianne Elliott

Starring: Gillian Anderson, Jason Isaacs, Hermione Norris, James Lance, Lloyd Hutchinson, Angus Wright, Megan Placito, Rebecca Ineson

Written by: Rebecca Lenkiewicz and (based on the book) Raynor Winn

Running Time: 115 mins

Cert: 12A

Release date: 30th May 2025