A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Walk” (2023, Short) (from the London Film Festival).
“The Walk” is a short film nominated for awards at the London Film Festival. Not only did I get to see the film, but I was also able to interview the director Michael Jobling (see the video embedded in this review below the trailer).
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Amar (Adeel Ahktar) has to visit his local job centre every week. This is particularly problematic, since it is a 24 mile round trip and his rural bus service has been axed.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This has not yet been rated by the BBFC or the MPA. If I remember right, there is one use of bad language so it would probably be rated a ’12’).
Talent:
Starring: Adeel Akhtar, Harper Hayar.
Directed by: Michael Jobling.
Written by: Sophie Ellerby.
Twitter Handle: #TheWalk.
Running Time: 11m.
Breathe in the country air; breathe out the stress. Adeel Akhtar as Amar. (Source: Griffin Pictures).
“The Walk” Review:
Positives:
- A good short film should either address an issue or be mystical and intriguing and The Walk manages to do both.
- As my local village bus service HAS just been axed, I fully appreciate the problems that this dumps on people like Amar who, unlike me, don’t have the luxury of running a car.
- The film examines – through the use of visuals but also (very much so) through clever sound design the stress that the walk is having on him, given the other traumatic things happening in his life.
- Adeel Akhtar – star of “Ali and Ava”, the “Enola Holmes” films and many others – is a class act to be in an indie short film like this.
Negatives:
- The ending was quite abrupt and left me wanting to know more (but maybe that’s a good thing!)
Summary Thoughts on “The Walk”
A short film that highlights (in a non political way) an issue increasingly affecting rural communities across the UK. It’s a short watch but a good watch.
You can currently find “The Walk” on the BFI Player. At the time of writing, it is free to view.
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Trailer for “The Walk”:
The trailer is on Vimeo here: https://vimeo.com/840423617 .
Interview with director Michael Jobling
Here is my interview with Michael Jobling, recorded during the London Film Festival.
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