The Roads Not Taken’s Sally Potter on making major decisions

A film with writer/director Sally Potter’s name on it immediately raises expectations.  They challenge, they intrigue and they never fit into a nice, neat box – which is part of their appeal.  Such is her reputation that she also attracts high calibre casts.  Kristin Scott Thomas and Timothy Spall were among the ensemble for The Party (2017) and for her latest film, The Roads Not Taken, she’s attracted an impressive international line-up, including Javier Bardem and Elle Fanning.

Her story, as she reveals to The People’s Movies, is one that came out of personal experience.  It follows a day in the life of former writer (Bardem) who is in a physical and mental decline, plagued by memories of his life and helped by his daughter (Fanning), who comes to the realisation that she has to make a crucial decision about their mutual futures.

She discusses the film’s original title and why she decided to change it, as well as the irony of the central character being robbed of the language that was the foundation for his life and career.  And she considers its examination of the decisions we all have to face at certain points in our lives.

The Roads Not Taken is released in cinemas on Friday, 11 September | Read Our Review 

About the Author

Freda Cooper

Editor

Freda is a Senior Writer at The People's Movies. A lifelong movie fan and a film critic for over ten years, Freda’s natural habitat is the darkened rooms frequented by fellow cineastes. She can also be found asking questions of some of the biggest names in the business – from Cate Blanchett to Daniel Craig or Mike Leigh to Pete Docter – or crafting reviews for a number of sites and publications, including The People’s Movies. And listeners to BBC Local Radio can catch her views on the latest releases. She always – and probably always will – cite The Third Man as her favourite film of all time. Her top ten? That’s a moveable feast …..

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