“The Salzpfad” criticism: Wand hiking with Gillian Anderson

A few days ago, “Der Salzpfad” celebrated its German premiere as part of the Munich Film Festival – in the presence of leading actress Gillian Anderson (56), which was also honored there with the Cinemerit Award. The film adaptation of the bestseller of the same name by the British author Raynor Winn (born 1962) convinces primarily with the impressive game of the main actors and the powerful landscape pictures.

“The Salt Path” by director Marianne Elliott (58) starts on July 17th in our cinemas.

What is “the Salzpfad” about?

The film tells the moving story of Raynor “Ray” (Anderson) and Moth Winn (Jason Isaacs), a couple in the fifties who not only loses his home, but also his entire livelihood after a lost legal proceedings. Added to this is the diagnosis of an incurable, neurodegenerative disease at Moth, which increasingly makes walking increasingly difficult. In their despair and without perspective, the two pack their last belongings in backpacks and set out to cope with the South West Coast Path, which is over 1,000 kilometers long on the English south coast.

With a tent and a few supplies, they struggle through a breathtaking but also challenging landscape. On the way you encounter prejudices, rejection and social cold, but also find comfort in nature and in encounters with helpful people.

Quiet narrative style, emotional depth

The quiet, urgent narrative style and the representation of the existential crisis as a love story that manages without kitsch and pathos make the film special. Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs (62) also give history great emotional depth due to their intensive and nuanced game.

Impressive landscape shots

The “Salzpfad” in book and film is the real hiking trail South West Coast Path, which leads from Minhead in Somerset along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall to Poole Harbor in Dorset. Originally laid out for the coast guard, the path runs through some of the most spectacular coastal landscapes in England, including the UNESCO World Heritals Jurassic Coast and the mining landscape of Cornwall and West Devon.

Camerafrau Hélène Louvart catches the British coastal landscape – roaring waves, steep cliffs, thorny bushes, wind whipped, mushy paths, endless rainy days and perfect sunsets – impressively in.

Small minus points on existential topics

Even if the two main actors are convincing in this landscape, social issues such as homelessness and illness remain more indicated. The action focuses almost exclusively on the couple; Side figures such as the two children introduced at the beginning or biographical details, on the other hand, take a back seat.

Bestselling author Raynor Winn and the current discussion

The book “Der Salzpfad” was an international bestseller nominated for numerous literary prizes and awarded the renowned RSL Christopher Bland Prize in 2019. Over a million copies were sold worldwide.

Currently, however, fraud allegations against Raynor Winn are looking forward to the anticipation of the theatrical release. According to research by the “Observer”, central parts of their supposedly autobiographical history should be invented or falsified. There are doubts about the actual homelessness of the couple, the reasons for it as well as the identity and past of the author. The allegations therefore not only concern details, but the foundation of the entire story and question the credibility of the book as an authentic report. However, Raynor Winn decisively rejects the allegations and describes the reports as misleading.

3 ½ Of 5 salted hiking shoes.