“The Improbable Journey of Harold Fry” with Jim Broadbent is released this Wednesday in our theaters. The film is directed by the director of “Normal People”.
Adapted from the best-selling novel by Rachel Joyce, The letter that would change Harold Fry’s fate arrived on TuesdayThe Improbable Journey of Harold Fry will be released this Wednesday, May 31 in our theaters.
Carried by Jim Broadbent, interpreter of Horace Slughorn in the Harry Potter saga, the film follows Harold Fry, a young retiree who leads a gloomy life alongside his wife Maureen (Penelope Wilton).
When he learns that his faithful friend Queenie (Linda Bassett) is dying, he leaves his house upset to mail her a letter… but he decides to keep walking to get to her bedside.
His letter in his pocket, he then embarks on an improbable journey of more than 700km across England, with the intimate conviction that his trip will keep Queenie alive. Through unexpected and liberating encounters, will Harold be able to give himself a chance?
Published in 2012, The letter that would change Harold Fry’s fate arrived on Tuesday is Rachel Joyce’s first novel and has sold 5 million copies worldwide. The British novelist wrote the story on the news of her father’s illness.
She won the National Book Award for New Writer and her novel made the New York Times Bestseller list in 2012. It was originally a short radio play broadcast on BBC 4 radio.
In the face of success, Rachel Joyce made a novel of it, the audio version of which was recorded by Jim Broadbent. It is therefore quite natural that the doubly Oscar-winning actor (best supporting role in Iris and Moulin Rouge!) imposed himself for the role.
Wild BunchCast Jim Boradbent
The film adaptation is helmed by director Hettie MacDonald, famous for directing the first season of Normal People, Howard Ends, episodes of Doctor Who and the TV movie white girl for which she received the BAFTA for best dramatic film in 2008.
Have faith in the future
When the filmmaker discovered Rachel Joyce’s novel, she was immediately won over. She explains in the press kit:
“Rachel deals with suffering, mourning, guilt and reparation: I detected major and deeply universal themes, and Harold appeared to me as an extraordinary hero. By courageously venturing into the unknown, he shows that it is possible to move towards healing when you trust in fate.“.
Hettie MacDonald adds: “It’s a wonderful story, full of hope, which pushes us to show courage, to venture into the unknown even when it is a little frightening, to face what terrifies us. Harold Fry’s The Improbable Journey teaches us that life can change and that with some faith in the future, the best can happen.”
The Improbable Journey of Harold Fry can be seen in theaters today.