‘The Salt Path’ Transcends the Row Over Its Truth To Deliver a Moving Meditation on Loss

There’s a beautiful image partway through “The Salt Path.” A man and a woman swimming next to each other underwater, taking in the vibrancy of life underneath the waves as fish meander by and rays of sunlight trickle down to the sea floor. In that moment, the couple has found an enchanting world in an unlikely place. They sample peaceful joy, in a spot where they can’t survive for long.That image best sums up the philosophy behind “The Salt Path,” a new film bold enough to ask and realistically answer the question: What do you have when you’ve lost everything?“The Salt Path” is the story of a couple underwater financially, experiencing homelessness and literally camping out on the edge of a cliff. The film offers a compelling portrait of a couple in crisis — whether or not it’s a true story.The new film arrives under a veil of controversy, with reports indicating its source material may have been fabricated or at least heavily slanted. Whether the 2018 memoir “The Salt Path” was concocted is only relevant to those who need to view the film as “Based on a True Story,” and not relevant to whether “The Salt Path” works as a film. It does.The movie begins in media res, with the ocean tide invading the tent of the two main characters — a slightly more on-the-nose metaphor — before flashing back to the catalyst for the walkabout which drives the main story.Moth (Jason Isaacs) and Raynor Winn (Gillian Anderson) are English farmers whose home and farm are in foreclosure following poor investments and sloppy record keeping. They are told they have five days to vacate the premises. “It won’t come to that,” Moth says. “Yes, that’s what it’s come to,” Raynor says. At the same time, Moth’s doctor has revealed Moth’s arthritis is actually a far more serious chronic condition — one that could prove fatal.With their two children conveniently en route to a girlfriend’s house and a study abroad program respectively, Ray decides the couple should walk England’s South West Coast Path. The 630-mile trek, mostly along the English Channel, is a way for the couple to justify living out of a tent and swiping extra hot water kettles to use for their regular teas. But for Ray it becomes an escape, a long trip of denial, as she eventually recognizes she has not accepted their home is gone and the life they’ve known is over.Both Ms. Anderson and Mr. Isaacs face distinct acting challenges in portraying Ray and Moth, and they excel. Ms. Anderson’s best scenes are wordless, where director Marianne Elliott simply keeps the camera still and brings it in close to photograph the emotions on Ms. Anderson’s face. Single-shot closeups where she takes a shower or stares out a window say volumes more than any of the dialogue she is given to say — and that’s not a knock on the script.Mr. Isaacs has a different challenge, playing a character who tries to maintain his dignity even as his body starts to give way. He mostly avoids the trap of ailing characters who can become cloying or annoying, though I could have done with a handful fewer grunts and groans. His movements are just right, though, with a limp that makes the walks far more challenging and the slow loss of his dexterity as his condition worsens. He creates a character that is fully aware of his own growing physical weakness but never comes across as pathetic.“The Salt Path” was shot in 2023 and opened in the UK last year. One month later, The UK Observer published an expose that called into doubt key facts of the Winn’s story. The investigation revealed the real Raynor Winn ran into financial trouble after allegedly defrauding her employer and needing to pay the money back. The reporting also questioned the seemingly miraculous recovery of Moth Winn from his corticobasal deterioration and revealed Raynor Winn owned land in France where the couple could have settled after losing their home.Ms. Anderson claimed in interviews that Sony pulled out of distributing the film in the US amid the controversy. Rialto eventually signed on to distribute the film here. Raynor Winn has denied the investigation’s claims, calling them “grossly unfair.” Her nonfiction follow-up to “The Salt Path” has been delayed until January 2028.In interviews, both Ms. Anderson and Mr. Isaacs have reckoned with the fact the emotional journey they portrayed may not be factual. Mr. Isaacs has said “it’s a beautiful film” and “that much of it is still completely valid.”And even if there is zero fact in it, this film takes seriously the story of people living on the edge and delivers emotional truth through the excellent performances of its two lead actors. The picture’s cinematography is grounded, showcasing the wet cliffs, gray seas with white capped waves, and sunny bramble fields without turning into a National Geographic special. The drama at the heart of this could have made for the world’s most depressing travelogue. Instead, the film is a celebration of the natural world, the open air of adventure and the freedom of shedding physical burdens.“I thought the house, everything, was us, but it wasn’t,” Mr. Isaac’s character says late in the film. What do you have when you’ve lost everything? You have the love of those closest to you, “The Salt Path” says, and the beauty of the world around you. And it’s enough for as long as you can hold your breath.

‘The Salt Path’ Transcends the Row Over Its Truth To Deliver a Moving Meditation on Loss

‘The Salt Path’ Transcends the Row Over Its Truth To Deliver a Moving Meditation on Loss

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