The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry Review

Rachel Joyce adapts her own novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry for a British version of a road movie.

Harold Fry (Jim Broadbent) is a retiree who lives in South Devon. When Harold receives a letter from an old work colleague staying in a hospice, dying from cancer, he decides to walk the length and breadth of England to see her. Harold inspires others, but his journey frustrates his wife, Maureen (Penelope Wilton).

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was a film aimed at an older audience. It featured two older stars, focused on a story involving older people, and had a more gentile approach to storytelling. Unlike other films that appear to the ‘grey audience,’ The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry aimed to be more dramatic and poignant.

The word ‘Pilgrimage’ was a pointed one. It was a spiritual and emotional journey, as much as a physical journey. Harold’s journey was spurred on when he spoke with a blue-haired girl (Nina Singh) who worked in a garage. She told Harold a story about her aunt having cancer and how her prays saved her relative. Harold wanted to give Queenie (Linda Bassett) a bit of hope and his journey gave her a reason to live a little bit longer. To outsiders, Harold’s journey was inspiring, and people ended up joining him on the pilgrimage, but their presence distorted Harold’s mission.

The other side of the story was Harold’s personal journey. Harold had a fractious relationship with his wife, and son, David (Earl Cave). During his journey he reflects on his relationship with David, and how it disintegrated. Harold was thinking about his grief and guilt and the journey was a way for the pensioner to receive some sort of penance. For Harold, the journey was more than just about Queenie.

The journey was gruelling for Harold. He was a man in his 70s who didn’t do much exercise and he suddenly decides to walk such a long way. He faced challenges on the way, including getting blisters on his feet, to surviving in the wild. As Harold progressed the journey became harder because he had fewer items on him, and he became more dishevelled.

Walking from Kingsbridge to Berwick-upon-Tweed turned The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry into a British road movie. According to Google, this trip should take eight hours, 20 minutes by car or public transport, so walking made the journey much longer. England doesn’t have the advantage that America has which is size, meaning there can be different landscapes and people across the land. Yet The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry had the essence of a road movie because it was about the people Harold met on the way and the impact they had on each other. One of the most important was Wilf (Daniel Frogson). Harold saw a lot of his son in the young runaway, and the character added as an extra avenue for redemption for Harold.

The film had The Quiet Girl’s cinematographer, Kate McCullough and she did provide some lovely scenery of the English countryside. Harold did get to see some sites, like Exeter Cathedral and the Jane Austen parade in Bath. The film gets bonus points from me because some of it was set in Bath.

Despite the hard subject matter, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry aimed to have a positive message. It aimed to show that people were good, kind, and willing to help each other out regardless of the circumstances. Many people were inspired by Harold and helped him in some way, whether it was by giving him food and water, to medical attention. And Harold had an impact on the people he met: he gave people advice and, in some cases, he did things for others, like offering advice or doing tasks for them. Harold wasn’t a character who liked to just sit around.

The characters of Harold and Maureen did give Broadbent and Wilton a lot to work with, especially Broadbent. Harold was a character with a lot of internal pain that he hadn’t processed. At times his performance was devastating because he became emotionally overwhelmed. It was an excellent performance from a man who often gives excellent performances. Wilton was the put-upon wife who was trying to process what her husband has done, and she had to think about some of the things she had done during the marriage.

If I wanted to nit-pick there was one aspect of the film that didn’t ring true. That was the role of public services or the lack of it. However, the film’s message and tone were so strong that it overrode this issue.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was a nice British film that excelled because of the talents of its cast and showing the decency in humanity.