The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry (film)

''The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'' is a 2023 British drama film directed by Hettie Macdonald. It is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Rachel Joyce. The film stars Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton.

''The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'' was released in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2023, by eOne. It was the last film to be distributed by Entertainment One in the United Kingdom before the distributor's UK division was shut down on July 20, 2023.

Plot

Retired pensioner Harold Fry lives in Kingsbridge with his wife Maureen, whose marriage to him has become despondent and quiet. One day, Harold receives a letter from his old friend, Queenie Hennessy, who is dying from cancer and is living in a hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Harold then decides to walk the length of England to reach Berwick-upon-Tweed without the use of transport or support from Maureen. Along the way, he encounters a variety of people who show interest in his hiking achievement. Harold also reflects on how his only son David, an unemployed former Cambridge University graduate, struggled with depression along with a serious drug and alcohol addiction, all of which led him to taking his own life in a garden shed.

Cast

* Jim Broadbent as Harold Fry
** Adam Jackson-Smith as young Harold Fry
* Penelope Wilton as Maureen Fry
** Bethan Cullinane as young Maureen Fry
* Linda Bassett as Queenie Hennessy
* Joseph Mydell as Rex
* Earl Cave as David Fry
* Monika Gossman as Martina
* Maanuv Thiara as Mick
* Nina Singh as Garage Girl
* Daniel Frogson as Wilf
* Naomi Wirthner as Kate
* Claire Rushbrook as Farmer’s wife
* Ian Porter as Jim the Oncologist
* Joy Richardson as Sister Philomena
* Sam Lee as Singer

Production

The project was directed by Hettie Macdonald, with Kate McCullough as director of photography, production design by Christina Moore, and costume design by Sarah Blenkinsop. The film was produced by Kevin Loader, Juliet Dowling and Marilyn Milgrom, and was developed with Film4 and the BFI; financing was arranged by Embankment Films and provided by the BFI and Ingenious. It was the biggest investment made in new film by the BFI in 2021.

Casting

Broadbent joined the project to play Harold in February 2021. Broadbent had previously also voiced the audiobook. He also previously worked with the author of the book when she worked as an actress, Joyce had played Perdita to his Leontes in a production of ''The Winter’s Tale'' at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 1987. Penelope Wilton joined the project in June 2021.

Filming

Filming took place mainly on location to match Harold’s walk in the story. Filming began in Devon in September 2021. Devon filming locations included Kingsbridge, Loddiswell, South Brent, Higher Dean, Buckfast, Exeter, Tiverton and Appledore. Filming also took place in Bath, Somerset, and Gloucestershire, Ripley, Derbyshire as well as on the border between Wakefield and Dewsbury, and Sheffield, Yorkshire.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack featuring music and original songs from the film was released featuring two original songs written and performed by Sam Lee.

Release

''The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'' was released in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2023, by eOne. It was the last film to be distributed by Entertainment One in the United Kingdom before the distributor's UK division was shut down on July 20, 2023.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, ''The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'' holds an approval rating of 83% based on 29 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "If ''The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'' follows a well-worn path, having Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton as guides makes it difficult to complain."

Deborah Ross for ''The Spectator'' described it as an “incredibly beautiful film to look at” and that “Broadbent is a wonder, so real and sincere it doesn’t feel like acting…and Wilton equals him”. Ross concluded that “this may even be one of those rare instances where the film is better than the book.” Kevin Maher in ''The Times'' described it as “immediately one of the great movies about ageing and regret” with director Macdonald a “secret weapon” whose “return to cinema is something to be celebrated”. Peter Bradshaw in ''The Guardian'' was more critical of the suspension of reality required with the plot, saying that whilst it was “impeccably acted, sincerely intended and often beautifully shot” there was something “unsatisfying” in the “solemn, self-conscious fantasy”.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, The
2020s British films
2020s English-language films
2023 drama films
2023 films
Entertainment One films
British Film Institute films
Films based on British novels
Films shot in England
Films shot in Sheffield
Films shot in South Yorkshire
Films shot in Somerset
Films shot in Devon
Films shot in Gloucestershire
Films shot in Yorkshire
Films about grieving
Films about suicide
Films about drugs
Films about alcoholism