The Last Bus (4 Stars)

This is a glorious road movie about a man who returns home after 70 years.

Tom and Mary Harper lived in Land's End. For those who aren't acquainted with England, it's the southernmost tip of England. They had a baby daughter on Christmas Day 1950, but she didn't even live to be a year old. She died on 24th December 1951. Mary was so depressed that she had to move away, as far as possible. Together they moved to John O'Groats, the northernmost town in Scotland, more than 800 miles away. They lived happily for the next 70 years, though they didn't have any more children.

Tom was diagnosed with cancer and told he only had a few more months to live, but ironically, his wife died first. He decided to return to Land's End to scatter his wife's ashes in the sea. He was short of money, so he had to travel by bus. Old age pensioners in the UK have a free bus pass. He's an old-fashioned person. He doesn't have a mobile phone, and he carries a large paper map to plan his journey, but the people he meets on his journey are more modern. He gets noticed on his travels, so his progress is reported on social media. Wherever he goes people recognise him, and he doesn't know why.

The Scottish and southern English scenery is beautiful. The film is worth seeing if you're planning a road trip through England and Scotland. My only regret is that I couldn't recognise the locations. I hope that the Director's Commentary on the Blu-ray will name the towns that Tom passes through.

I was happy to see that there was a relatively large cinema audience. I didn't think an obscure British film like this would be popular in Germany. I was wrong.