The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2024)

After receiving a "goodbye" note in the mail from a former colleague now in hospice, reserved Harold struggles with the appropriate words with which to respond. So, instead, he seizes on a tossed-off anecdote from a girl ringing up his groceries and decides to walk 500 miles or so to visit his friend in person. He leaves then and there without preparation or even checking in with his wife.

Though things make a lot more sense once the entire story is revealed, we spend so much time in the dark that Harold comes off as almost simple-minded. I have definitely indulged in "magical thinking" more than a few times, but having to wait until the script decided that we'd earned the answer to why he'd go to such lengths... especially for someone he'd not seen in at least a decade (?) was frustrating -- especially because the reveal forced my sympathies to "change sides."

C+