Now in her eighties, Edie (Sheila Hancock) has been carer to her husband for thirty years. When he dies she wonders what a life alone will mean for her. Daughter Nancy (Wendy Morgan) wants her to go into a home, but Edie still has too much independence left in her. Then, when clearing out the mountains of rubbish accumulated over a lifetime, she comes across an old postcard from her dad, picturing Suilven, a mountain in northwest Scotland. And Edie decides she needs a challenge to reinvigorate her life.
Taking the sleeper train to Inverness, she finds herself forced to accept a lift from Jonny (Kevin Guthrie). His helpfulness gradually overcomes her initial dislike and he becomes her tutor and guide in learning to survive on what will be an arduous climb.
Does she make it? Spoiler alert - of course she does, for this is an unashamedly feelgood movie. In one sense this makes Edie entirely predictable. There are obstacles along the way, both physical and emotional, dangers to be overcome, a mystery intervention and a redemptive ending. You know the story.
But there's more than Edie to this apparently formulaic storytelling. As with many Festival films there was a Q&A session following the screening. Not something I'd usually mention in a review, but in this case it underlined what a remarkable achievement this film is. The obvious warmth between the 83 year old star and a co-star more than 5 decades her junior was one aspect, and gives the lie to so much of the current nonsense in the media about inter-generational conflict.. But it was hearing Hancock talk about the physical challenges the role posed, and her joy at overcoming them, that underlined just how motivational this film is.
You can hear her talk about the efforts involved in this short video. Well worth a watch, even if you don't think you'll get to see the movie (although you really should). Because the real inspiration in this film isn't Edie, it's Sheila Hancock herself, and what it takes to still be young in your eighties.
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