The Salt Path

[Mothership4two]

Anyone planning to go and watch this? And did you read the book? I am hoping to go in the next couple of weeks. There are four of us going, two have read it and two haven't. Looking forward to the scenery as much as the story.

Planning to.go to the cinema.
Not read the book.

I have seen the film now and thought it was beautifully done. She was not as annoying as I had expected having read some comments here. Very moving and beautiful landscapes.

The film is quite tedious. It reminds me of when you’re on the treadmill at the gym and you can choose to ‘walk’ somewhere on the screen. It also didn’t make me cry and I cry at everything!

Hadn't read the book and didn't know the plot going into see the film.
Found it hard to warm to. They both make terrible decisions repeatedly and are so passive about their situation.

🤣

Just seen the film, never having read the book.

Found it a v tedious load of twaddle. The SWCP looked gorgeous though. Was GA trying for a Brummie accent?

I found it hard to understand their decisions too but I did admire them for how they lived their life..

I don't live my life like they do - I am a "logic" person, they are "feeling" people". I have a corporate job which provides me with money for security, they had a different lifestyle and got their security through their network of friends who help each other out.

When making a decision, I'd do the research..they'd just do what felt right. They knew their choices had risks but as they know they are resourceful , they thought they would work it out.

What would it take for the triple whammy of losing home, livelihood and health to happen to you? Does your good decision making really insulate you from bad luck as much as you think?

Bad luck can befall anyone. But no one loses their home and livelihood overnight unless they’ve made some incredibly poor decisions. I wonder whether they’d entered some business venture with a mate, hoping to make a tidy some of money, and stupidly borrowed money against their house. If you’re a ‘free spirit’ and make decisions by gut feeling rather than common sense, you still have to live with the consequences of your choices. That was the thing that grated a bit for me. Raynor Winn seemed to accept no responsibility and actually was quite dismissive and ungrateful of others.

As I understand it, they had guaranteed a friend's loan to set up a business, and when the friend's business failed, he sued them for the value of the loan he had to repay. There might be more to it than that, I imagine in both the book and film they had to be careful what they said for legal reasons, but that's the gist of it.

I went to watch the film but walked out about 30 minutes in. So much sighing, creaking, groaning and moaning. Also I really disliked the disjointed back and forth to future and present day. She came across stroppy and childish and although well acted, I couldn’t feel anything deeply for Jason Isaac’s character either!

I’ve been to a small book talk and signing Raynor was doing and found her quite steely and reserved. She wasn’t easy to warm to somehow. I would like to see the film out of curiosity but sounds like a slow watch!

I cry at everything too but was completely dry eyed at this one. Would have left but was with a friend, every time a distance came up we would whisper- how many more miles do we have ?
I think the worst bit for me was when the DH started spouting on the box and a large group of people piled round and paid to listen to him. In reality most people would run off as soon as that happened.
I also felt sorry for the friend who gave them a place to stay, found her paid work and was portrayed as unpleasant, although good to see Hermione Norris in something these days.
Overall it wasn’t dreadful, I loved the scenery. Friend said it was a million times better than Mission Impossible XXXlV or whatever number it is, but that could be primarily because it was over an hour shorter.

I thought they missed a trick by not putting the locations on screen as well as the miles.

Yes, when the first day was 2.5 miles I thought it’s going to be a long ass film! Agree with the money in the hat bit. It was ridiculous, just like the swimming scene as others have mentioned. The end with the lady was weird too but by that time I was just so glad it gad finally finished!

Went to see this last night at a cinema in Cornwall. The cinema was almost entirely populated by other middle aged women, and the odd husband, which got me thinking before it even started. Why do men (in general) not go and see films that are predominately made by and starring women? OK I know Jason Isaacs was wonderful, but it was a very female dominated film.

I've read the book twice and have mixed feelings about it. A friend owns one of the campsites they stayed at and jumped the wall to get over, and she had a problem afterwards with people doing the same. I don't find the Winn's style of writing and how she presents herself particularly likeable, but the story is undeniably inspiring. I also wondered about the relationship with the woman who offered them accommodation over the winter - is there something she didn't tell us there?

But God the film was disappointing! The pacing was terrible, they missed important bits out, they added unnecessary bits in (WTF was the girl in Newquay all about? Was it just added to show that Ray and Moth are Good People and would give their last fiver to help out someone vulnerable?) The geography was all over the place - while this might sound like a minor point, geography is such a major part of the story, that to mess with it chronologically seemed nuts. There would have been a lot of people in the south west who went to see the film partly to location spot. At one point, they seemed to be heading east i.e. back towards Minehead. And why didn't they tell us where they were each time? Was it because they used locations that were clearly "wrong"? And the Land's End moment, which is such a pivotal moment in the book was missed out entirely. And finally the film just peters out, after a Wise Woman character tells them they have been "salted" as they're sitting on a beach. The performances are good I guess, and obviously it would be a life's ambition to be held tenderly in Jason Isaacs's arms. However pretty much everyone in the cinema left with mutters.

Visit Cornwall are all over this. I don't know why. It looked mainly set in Exmoor and North Devon.

I saw the film recently. I didn’t even know it was adapted from a book. It’s was a good story but I didn’t find it emotional or inspiring.

Also the swimming bit was an insult to anyone who has ever swum in the sea in the UK. Firstly because they were a few yards off a sandy beach and then suddenly they were diving around a rocky reef with a bloody turtle swimming past them. And secondly, because you can't see clearly in the sea without a mask.

Yes we occasionally get leatherback turtles in the UK. This was not one.

I have seen the film but haven’t read the book.

I enjoyed it, but found it implausible.

How did they lose all their money? That wasn’t explained properly.

How did his meds make Moth unable to use his left arm, but when he came off the meds he could suddenly walk better and use his arm??

Yes to this!! I rolled my eyes a lot at this scene.

I also wondered if they were walking in the right direction sometimes. The sea was on their right, then on their left.

infuriating that they messed with the geographical locations and order of places in the walk too.

I think they had dragged the process on so long by stalling and stalling and not answering questions and summonses etc, that by the time it came to them not submitting that bit of evidence properly, the judge lost patience. People used to knock at the door and they'd hide and not answer. It had already gone on for years. IIRC they already had appealed (maybe I'm wrong).

I went to see the film because I have actually walked the SWCP myself and wanted to location spot. I have read the book and already knew the film wouldn't tell much of a story because the book doesn't really have much of a story. Im another who did not really take to Raynor Winn. She is very judgemental about others and I thought she came across as having a persecution complex. All that stuff about being shunned by people once they knew you were homeless. If you were begging on the street, yes, I can see people are disapproving of that, but if you are hiking the coast path? I don't think so. I've met thousands of people whilst hiking and I can't imagine any expressing disapproval or horror of someone's personal circumstances in the way she described.

But back to the film and the location spotting: yeah, as @WestwardHo has already said, the geography and continuity was all over the place. It's a niche interest perhaps but it put me off the film.

I did think Jason Issacs was worth watching though. I didn't recognise any of his previous roles in the performance he gave, which is a sign of a good actor imo.

Another vote for Wild.

I liked the book and enjoyed the film. I am obviously more easy going than many of the posters here.
The scenery was the star of both the book and the film. I think that was the intended message. Radnor Winn is very clear about her love and attachment for landscape / outside. The story describes / shows this and for me that is the takeaway.

I rarely get time to read or go to the cinema though so am more likely to be appreciative, so it could be me

Why does having an opinion on a book or film make you less “easy going”? Such a strange take.

Would far rather go for a glass of wine with Cheryl than Winn!