The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is exactly the kind of movie we need right now. A movie that reminds us that sometimes an innocent chat with a stranger can change your life forever and to never give up hope.
Like many recently retired men, Harold Fry (Jim Broadbent) is living a pleasant enough Groundhog Day kind of existence with his wife Maureen (Penelope Wilton). Then one day he receives a letter from an old work colleague, Queenie. Turns out Queenie is nearing the end of her life in a hospice. After much consideration Harold pens a letter to his old friend. The next morning he leaves the house telling his wife he’s just popping out to the corner letterbox to post it.
But when Harold reaches the postbox he decides to continue walking to the local post office. Further on a casual chat with a stranger changes the course of his life forever. Instead of posting the letter he sends Queenie a postcard telling her he’s on his way to see her and that…
“I’ll keep walking if you keep living.”
Harold’s meditative journey of 450 miles takes him through stunning English countryside as he strips away his old life for the new.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a movie that asks us many questions including what’s really important in life, how much do we really need and whether our pets leave us when they think we don’t need them anymore?
As the audience loudly clapped their appreciation I pondered:
- Broadbent is perfect as the thoughtful, patient, resilient Harold;
- So too Wilton as his world-weary wife;
- As Harold moves through the beautiful countryside the lilting Irish score perfectly conveys his mood;
- The movie reminds us that we are all more resilient than we think;
- That it is important to maintain some sense of purpose in life;
- But most of all it’s about the power of having faith that we can make a difference for others and ourselves.
Windsor Cinema is holding a morning tea on June 8th at 10:30am to celebrate the opening of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.
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