The Salt Path
Short description
The Salt Path follows Raynor and Moth Winn, a married couple who lose their home after a long legal battle and, in the same period, learn that Moth has an incurable illness. With nowhere to go and little money, they set out to walk the South West Coast Path, the long-distance trail along the coasts of Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, carrying a tent and the essentials. The film is based on Raynor Winn's account of that journey. Their walk is physically demanding and emotionally testing, and it becomes a way of confronting what they have lost and of reconsidering what home can mean. Gillian Anderson plays Raynor and Jason Isaacs plays Moth, with Hermione Norris, James Lance, Denis Lill and Rebecca Ineson among the supporting cast of thirty credited performers.
Marianne Elliott directs, from a screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz. The film is Elliott's first as a director, followed by a 2026 recording of a National Theatre production; Lloyd Levin, Elizabeth Karlsen and Beatriz Levin produced, and the film is a British production. Released in May 2025, it took about 22 million dollars worldwide, a solid result for a drama of this kind.
On IMDb it holds 6.6 out of 10 from around 6,700 votes, and on TMDB 6.7 out of 10 from a much smaller number of votes. A critics' rating of 6.5 out of 10 across 33 reviews places professional response close to the audience scores, with neither side leaning strongly positive.
What's left behind the scenes
- The scene at the beginning of the film where Mott accidentally bumps into Raynor while taking off his backpack at the gate was not in the script. It happened by chance, but the actors stayed in character, and Marianne Elliott liked it so much that she preferred to leave everything as it was and not reshoot the scene.
- Shortly before the start of filming, Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs met Raynor Winn and her husband Mott, whom they were to play. Winn didn't believe until the last moment that such a striking woman as Anderson could play her convincingly.
- Marianne Elliott decided to make this film during one of her walks during the Covid restrictions. Four years later, work on the film was already behind her.
- Preparing for filming, Marianne Elliott herself walked some of the trail that the film's characters were to follow. Later, Elliott, an experienced hiker, said that it turned out to be not easy.
- In July 2025, shortly after the film's premiere, The Observer newspaper published an article questioning the two premises that led to the characters' hike – Mott's diagnosis and the circumstances of the Winns' eviction from their home. The article suggested that Winn had misappropriated someone else's money (whereas the film spoke of an unsuccessful investment). In response to the article, Winn made a statement refuting its claims.
- Ralph Fiennes was initially considered for the role of Mott. He was also keen to work with Marianne Elliott, but it wasn't meant to be, as the actor was offered a role in Edward Berger's detective drama “Conclave” (2024) and left the cast of “Saltburn.” Gillian Anderson, who was to play Reynold Wynn, suggested her husband, Jason Isaacs, for the role. For the meeting with Elliott, where his participation in the project as a replacement for Fiennes was to be discussed, Isaacs arrived with a blue bandana tied around his neck, a characteristic feature of Mott's appearance. Isaacs really wanted to get the role because he liked the memoir – the literary source of the screenplay – and dreamed of working on a project with Gillian Anderson.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
